Blazing Courage
by Orange Orenji
Summary: A Riolu's life is changed forever after tragedy strikes his home town. After running away and getting rescued by a Vulpix, will he have the courage to start his new life?
1. Chapter 1

**10/28 edit: Hi, and welcome to Blazing Courage! If you're a new reader, I just want to warn you that the first three or four chapters have many grammar errors (heck even the newer chapters still do lol) and I know I should revise them but...ugh it's a lot of work getting the next chapter up as it is lol. One day I'll revise them...**

**This story is based off another fic I read many years ago on AGNPH (TERRIBLETIMESOHGOD) and I can no longer fic. But the majority of it is my own work so... yeah :P Enjoy! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

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Hello, my name is Cobalt, a Riolu, 8 years old. I live in Miner's Town, a small, rural town with the majority of the population consisting of workers and miners. It's located in the mountains of the Iron nation, which is mostly consisted of steel and fighting types. My father, a Lucario, is the mayor and leader here. He's strong, kind, and everyone loves him. I strive to be like him one day. As our leader he works with the bigger cities in the nation by providing them ores and other materials in the mountains and caves. The Iron nation actually provides many ores and materials for the other nations of the world, so our little town is a vital resource for everyone! My mother, also a Lucario, is the only teacher here. She teaches both kids and teens, which actually isn't very much work since this is a town of workers. Not many families live here, and even the workers don't live her permanently. In fact, the only other kid here is my best friend Plum, a female Mienfoo.

It was another peaceful day. Class just ended for me and Plum, and it was time for the teens to have their class. Class was split into two different lectures since there aren't many children in this town: one for the kids, and one for the teens. However since the classes are so small, there's more contact between the teacher and students so we all learn at a really fast pace! Mother says we're just as smart as the other kids around the nation even though our classes are half as long.

"Times like this make me glad that we live in a small town, we only have school for a few hours and we get the rest of the day to ourselves!" I said as I stretched out as we walked out of the small school. As much as I loved learning, I loved relaxing and playing even more.

"Yeah I like the less school part, but I wonder what it's like to live in a bigger place. Wouldn't it be great if there were more kids around here? I'd love to have more friends!" Plum said with a smile on her face.

"Are you saying that I'm not enough for you?" I teased, just wanting to get a reaction out of her.

"W-what?! Of course not! I just think it'd be a lot more fun if there were other kids around here to play with. We could play so many more games with other kids around!" she yelled. Plum always overreacted at even the littlest things.

I laughed. "Haha, I'm just kidding! Of course I'd love to have other kids to play with, but as long as I have you, I'm happy. You're my best friend after all and I don't need anyone else!" I said with a huge smile on my face. I purposely tried to embarrass her.

Plum had a shocked look and her face started to turn red. "H-hey ! Don't say embarrassing things like that!" she shouted and jabbed my face.

"Ow! That was uncalled for!" I said with my hand on my cheek. It didn't really hurt but, I guess I deserved that for teasing her like that.

"I know you're teasing me on purpose! And I also know that didn't really hurt!" she said glaring at me. I guess after being friends for so long she'd eventually catch on that I do it on purpose.

"But you do have a point. As long as we have each other, we don't need other kids to play with! It's never boring hanging out with you! Anyway, I'm starving so let's hurry to my place!" she said while as she started to sprint towards her house, leaving me behind.

"H-hey! Wait for me!" I said while I chase after her.

We would always go to Plum's after school for lunch, since my parents were always busy with their work. Plum's mother, a Mienshao, makes crafts for a living, which she does at home, so she would always watch over me and Plum during the weekdays.

"I'm home!" Plum shouts as she rushes into the house. I follow her shortly in, trying to catch my breath.

"Geeze Plum, nothing ever slows you down when it comes to food…"

Plum's mother comes out of the kitchen and greets us, "Welcome back! And just in time like always, lunch is ready!"

"Yes! I'm starving!" Plum says as she rushes to the kitchen.

"Thank you ma'am," I say while nodding my head.

Plum's mother gives a small chuckle, "Polite like always, Cobalt. Plum could really learn a thing or two from you." I give her a smile and join Plum in the kitchen with her mother.

"Plum, did you wash your hands?"

"Ob course I ded!" Plum says, with her mouth full of food.

"Plum! Don't talk with your mouth full!" her mother scolded. Plum takes a huge gulp and smiles with her eyes closed in happiness and replies, "Ah, it's so good!" she then opens her eyes and is greeted by a death glare from her mother, causing her to jump out of her seat. "Eek! S-sorry mom!"

"Goodness, Plum! Try to be more mindful with your manners! Why can you be more polite like Cobalt here?" she says while smiling at me. I awkwardly smile back, "Ma'am, you give me too much credit…"

"And he's modest and humble too!" she added, making me blush with embarrassment.

"I said I was sorry mom! And unlike Cobalt, I'm not gonna be the future mayor of this town. I don't need to be polite 24/7! Plus I'm home, is it really a big deal?" Plum retorted.

I flinched slightly at her comment. It's true that I'm to be the future mayor of this town. Being the leader has been a family tradition since this town was first established. I suppose it's kinda like being royalty with royal blood, except it's just being the mayor of a small town. It's a lot of pressure though, and I honestly don't know if I'm up for it. But I do love this town and I idolize my father, I've always wanted to be just like him.

"Yes it is! It's important to always have manners and be polite! Understand?"

"Yes mom…" Plum said, sounding a bit defeated. I join Plum at the table and sit next to her. "C'mon Plum, don't be so down! There's delicious food here! And your mother made it for us, so you have to be polite, thankful, and respectful to her!" She looked at me and gave me a smile. "You're right, I'm sorry mom!"

"It's okay honey, I'm glad you understand! Now, I have a present for you two! It should be done really soon s-" Plum cuts her off and looks up at her with her eyes gleaming…and mouth full of food.

"Ooo! Iz et th-"

*AHEM* Plum is instantly cut off, and she quickly swallows her food, "S-sorry mom…"

"Oh Plum…" I chuckle at her.

After we finished our food and washed our dishes, we went out to play in Plum's backyard. Her backyard was very spacious and full of green. It had a huge tree which was perfect for relaxing under whenever it was scorching hot in the summer. We would often climb it, and from the top you can get an entire view of the town. A small garden of flowers was located near the entrance to the backyard. Plum's mother tends the garden herself, and sells the flowers in the baskets and pots she makes. There was also a small playground and swing set that me and Plum have spent many days off playing on.

"So what do you think it is that your mother is giving us?" I asked Plum as I pushed her on the swing.

"Hmm, I have an idea of what it might be. She hasn't told me what it is, but I've seen her working on something secretly…" she said as she started to swing up high in the sky.

"So what is it?" I ask eagerly, pushing her with all the force I have.

Plum jumps off the swing and does several front flips and lands perfectly on her feet. She looks back at me and winks, "Hehe, it's a secret!"

I groan at her for not telling me. "You're such a show off."

"Hehe, don't be jealous! You just gotta train more!" She says as she pats me on the head.

"Stop that, you don't have to treat me like a little kid! I'm only a couple inches shorter and a few weeks younger! And I do train! Even more than you do!" I said a bit annoyed.

"Haha I know, I'm just kidding! Who's getting teased now?" she replied. I roll my eyes at her sassy remark.

Plum has always been the stronger and more athletic one. Because of that she would tease me about it, which I'm especially sensitive about since I work and train way harder than she does. And it's with my father too! He's the strongest Pokémon here, so I'm training with the best! I have to train and become strong if I'm to become the future mayor and protect everyone.

"I guess I'm just naturally stronger than you? C'mon I have to be better than you at something! You're more polite, smarter, kinder, more responsible…the list goes on!"

"That's not true…er, well maybe it is, but it's like you said. I have to be this way if I'm going to be a leader when I grow up…" I sighed and looked down.

"Aw c'mon don't look so depressed! It's not like you! I know you're worried that you think you're not up for it, but there's still a lot of time before you actually become our leader! We're still kids! I know I use your future status as an excuse for a lot of things like during lunch, and I'm sorry. But I honestly think you're gonna be a great leader, so you really have nothing to worry about! And besides, I'll be there for you if you ever really get into trouble. We always have each other's backs!" Plum said with a smile, trying to cheer me up. She really does always have my back.

"Hehe, thanks Plum! And it's okay, don't be sorry. I really shouldn't let it bother me. And you're right; there still is a lot of time. I don't need to worry about it right now, but when the time does come I know I'll be just fine!" I replied with determination.

"Kids, I finished them!" Plum's mother called out from the back door.

"C'mon let's go!" Plum said, rushing off like always. I follow her back inside the house.

"Look! Aren't they adorable?" Plum's mother said, holding a Riolu and Mienfoo doll. They looked extremely well made and high quality! I gazed at them with amazement and excitement. "Wow! Are these supposed to be us?" I asked her.

"Yup! Do you like them? I made the Riolu for you Plum and Cobalt you can have the Mienfoo one. Now you guys will always be together even if you're far apart!" Plum's mother said proudly.

"Oh wow mom, thanks! These have to be your best work yet! This Riolu is so cute! It looks just like you Cobalt!" Plum squealed with happiness.

"And this one looks just like you Plum! …Hey wait, are you calling me cute?!" I said with a blush of embarrassment.

"Hehe, of course you're adorable! You both are such cute children!" Plum's mother said with a huge smile on her face.

"M-mom! I was just teasing him, you don't have to be so embarrassing! But, thanks for the doll. I love it!"

"I love it too! Thank you so much ma'am!" I agreed with Plum, both of us with slight blushes of embarrassment from her mother's comments.

"You're both very welcome! Seeing your happiness was totally worth the hard work I put into them! And you guys are even more adorable when you're embarrassed!"

"Mom! You can stop with that now!" Plum said irritated, her face was even redder

"Oh hush dear, there's nothing to be embarrassed about! Now then Cobalt, it's starting to get late. Your parents should be home by now, so I think it's time to go home!"

"Oh! I suppose we lost track of time playing outside. I guess I better head home now. Thank you for having me like always! And thank you so much for the present! I'll keep it with me at all times! I'll see you tomorrow at school Plum!" I bowed and left for home, with Plum and her mother waving good bye back at me.

Plum lives at the opposite side of town from me, so it takes some time to get home. All sorts of buildings and stores stand between our homes, and as I walk home I pass by the town hall where my father works. I stop in front of it and look at the building, which happens to be the biggest building in the town.

"Am I really gonna be working here when I grow up? It's still a little hard for me to believe that I'll be leading this town in the future…" I whispered to myself. I hold onto my Mienfoo doll tighter.

As I stand there lost in my thoughts, my parents walk out of the building.

"Oh! Mother! Father!" I say cheerfully as I approach them.

"Hello Cobalt! We were worried that you were already going to be home and we wouldn't be there since it's already so late!" Mother said. After her work at school she comes here to help my father out with his work.

"Hey there son! Great timing! We were actually deciding to eat out today! We hit jackpot at the mines today and are to going to make some good money for the town, so we're going out to celebrate!" Father said with a huge smile on his face.

"Wow! You really are amazing Father!" my eyes gleaming with amazement. My father really is the greatest. He does so much for the sake of not just this town but the whole nation. It's no wonder everyone looks up to him!

"Yup, I know!" Father said proudly with his eyes closed and his chest sticking out. He always liked to joke around about how great he was with me. We all laugh at his silly response. "By the way, what's that you're holding there?" he said, referring to the Mienfoo doll I was holding.

Mother leaned in to get a better look at it. "Is that Mienfoo doll? It's adorable! Did Plum's mother make that for you?" she said with a look of amazement in her eyes.

"Yeah! She also made a Riolu for Plum! She said it's so that we can always be together even if we're far apart!" I said while admiring the doll. It really does look exactly like Plum.

"Well, isn't that just cute and sweet? She does so much for us, and yet insists in not taking any payment! We ought to do something to thank her in the near future." Mother replied with her arms crossed and eyes closed, thinking on how to thank her.

"Anyway, shall we get going? I'm starving after a long day of work!"

"Yes!" Mother and I replied at the same time.

The three of us head towards our favorite restaurant in town, Miner's Inn. Father is really good friends with the owner, so we come here every couple weeks or if we're celebrating something.

"Well, if it isn't Mr. Mayor and his lovely family! You guys were just here a couple of days ago! Celebrating the recent success in the mines?" The owner, an Emboar, greets us as we walk into the restaurant. The restaurant was a rather simple building, with a couple of booths and tables. The walls were covered in photos of the mines and workers; I could spot my father in some of them. There were a few decorations, including some plants in pots and baskets that I could tell that Plum's mother made; they were the same plants that she has growing in her backyard. Though it was nothing fancy, it felt very homey and humble inside. A radio was playing the some very relaxing music on the counter. The place had a good amount of customers inside. I could tell they were all miners from the accessories they were wearing, like the belts and helmets. This would explain why the owner already knew about the jackpot Father hit today.

"You got that right!" Father replied.

"Haha, I actually expected to see you guys here tonight after hearing the news. So, the usual order for everyone?" The Emboar replied. We're pretty much regulars here, so he already has our orders memorized. A lot of people are actually regulars here due to the size of the town; it's quite the popular restaurant.

"Right again!" Father said, taking a seat at one of the tables. Mother and I followed.

"Great, coming right up!" The owner said as he headed into the kitchen.

As we took our seats the music on the radio was interrupted, which caught everyone's attention. All eyes were instantly directed to the radio.

"We interrupt this program for an important message. Another rural town in the mountains, Ore Town in the Iron nation, has been attacked and destroyed again by the gang, Demon's Fang. There were no survivors. The gang, mostly consisted of dark types and hails from no particular nation, has been on the loose lately and attack many mountain towns in hopes of stealing their materials. Their motive is currently unknown. If you see any suspicious contact, please alert your local police immediately."

Well, there goes everyone's happy mood. The atmosphere immediately turned intense and heavy. Everyone was speechless. I couldn't believe what I just heard. I took a quick glace around the room and saw that everyone had a look of sadness and fear. My mother had her hands covering her mouth, and I could almost see tears forming in her eyes. My father had a very grim look on his face. I could tell he was very worried for this town, as we are a potential target.

Finally someone spoke up.

"O-ore Town?! That's practically right next to us! W-we're definitely next! We're all gonna die!" one of the miners panicked. Everyone then started freaking out, shouting about how we're next and that we're all going to die. It was so frightening. I've never seen anyone so panicked before.

It was too much for me. I felt my body trembling and tears started forming in my eyes. I tried my best to fight back my tears. "Fa-father is t-that true? Are…are we really going to be next? Y-y-our're going to protect us r-right?" I tried to speak. I've never stuttered like that or felt so much fear before in my life.

The moment my father saw me, I could see in his eyes that his heart dropped. I've never seen him look so sad before. He instantly stood up and slammed his hands on the table. Everyone's attention was directed to him.

"Everyone calm down! We are not going to die! It's true that we are very likely to be targeted soon, but do not let that get to you! It's unlikely they will be attacking us anytime soon since they just attacked today. Plus this town has many powerful Pokémon here, and if we do get attacked, I will protect everyone with my life. We cannot let fear overpower us! I will let the capital know of our situation at once and request extra protection!" he said confidently. He face was very stern and he had a strong look of determination in his eyes. The entire restaurant was speechless, but they had looks of relief and confidence after hearing his mini speech. I looked up at him with amazement and admiration. "Wow…he's just so amazing! Will I be able to do that one day? I hope so!" I thought to myself.

"Y-yeah! We have nothing to worry about! We're all strong, and this town has many fighting types! That stupid gang is filled with dark types, so we definitely have the advantage!" one of the miners finally spoke up after that short moment of silence. Everyone agreed with him and started talking again, mostly about how we have nothing to fear. And just like that the atmosphere is back to normal. My father fixed it so quickly and easily, he's the best leader ever!

"Father, you're so cool!" I said

He had his usual joking reaction, trying to look cool and cheer me up. "Heh, yeah I know! I can basically do anything!" Then his face turned serious. "I need to go back to the office and make arrangements. This is a serious matter and I need to let the capital know immediately. Hopefully they can send us backup as soon as possible." He then sighed. "Looks like I'll be working even more overtime, I don't know when I'll be home."

"Yes, I understand dear. Don't worry about it, I'll watch over Cobalt. We'll bring over your food later." Mother replied.

"Thank you," he said, giving my mother a kiss. "Cobalt, don't you worry about a thing! I'll get us some extra protection and beat up those stupid thieves!" my father said reassuringly.

"Yes, I know Father! We'll all be safe with you around!" I said with a nod.

We waved goodbye to him as he left the restaurant. Everything is going to be fine! That Demon's Fang gang or whatever will be sorry if they ever decide to try and steal our ores! …At least, that's what I want to believe.

After finishing our dinner and dropping of Father's dinner, Mother and I headed home. Father was extremely busy back at the office; he had a phone in one hand and a pen in the other, constantly scribbling down on his notebook. He was able to take a little break from all the chaos, which he took to speak to Mother privately. "This is getting really serious…" I thought to myself. Father thanked us for the food and again reassured us that everything will be alright, though I can see that he looked slightly worried. I tried to shrug that glimpse of worry I saw in him, but I couldn't and I felt all the fear slowing come back to me.

Back at home I lie down on my bed with my Mienfoo doll close by, just staring aimlessly at my ceiling, lost in my thoughts. "What's going to happen to us? Are we really going to be targeted? Can it really happen anytime? Is the extra protection going to arrive on time, if they even come? Why is the Demon's Fang even attacking towns? What do they want?" My thoughts are disrupted when I suddenly hear a knock on my bedroom door.

"Come in."

"Hello dear, how are you doing?" Mother comes in, holding a rather large backpack.

"I'm…fine I guess…" I try to hide my fear, but not doing a good job at it. I mean, besides being scared for my life, I am fine…I think.

Mother frowns to my response. I've never been good at lying. That's a good trait for a leader right?

"Cobalt, I know that you're scared. We're all scared. But the Demon's Fang just attacked today, they most likely won't attack again for a while. And there's no guarantee that we're next or even targeted. But it's better to be prepared." She then holds up the backpack and shows me the contents of the inside: several cans of food and bottles of water, a map and compass, a first aid kit, a blanket, and…our photo album?

"Wh-what is this?"

"I've prepared this emergency backpack for you. As you can see, it's filled with supplies that should last you several days should you have to retreat."

"Retreat…? W-why would I need to retreat…?" I stutter; scared for where this conversation is going.

"Because…if we do get attacked, I want you to run. Your father and I have already discussed this beforehand. You must run to the nearest town, or find shelter in the wild. Try to keep yourself safe and away from here, and try to find out what has happened to the town. If it's safe then come back home." Mother said, looking straight in my eyes. I've never seen her with such a serious expression before. It was actually kind of frightening to see her like this. I'm in complete shock that this conversation is even happening.

"Wh-what do you mean if it's safe?! It's definitely going to be safe right?! Everyone here is so strong and we even have a type advantage against them! P-plus we'll have that extra protection r-right?!" I tried saying with a straight face, which obviously didn't work. I could feel the tears starting to build up.

"Dear, there are no guarantees we'll be safe. We must be prepared for anything. Your father and I want nothing more than your safety, so you need to do as we say in case something happens to us or th-" she couldn't finish her sentence. She was cut off by my sudden outburst.

"What do you mean if something happens to you?! You guys aren't going to d-die on me! Right?! If we get attacked, we're a-all gonna survive! Us, Plum, and everyone! Don't t-talk like you're already prepared to die!" That was the tipping point. I could fight it back anymore. I broke down in tears, sobbing loudly.

"Shh, it'll be alright dear. W-we just need to take every precaution possible. We're not going to die; we're not going anywhere…" My mother said, hugging me tightly. I buried my face on her, my tears flowing onto her fur. She started rubbing my head, saying things like "It's going to be okay" and "we're not going anywhere."

"*sniff*I…I'm sorry Mother. I know that we must be prepared for anything *sniff*, and that anything could happen…it's just too much for me to handle…*sniff*" I struggled to say, trying to get rid of the tears. "But yes, I understand. I'll do as you say if you and Father think it's for the best."

Mother smiled at me, relieved at my response. She embraces me even harder. "I'm glad you understand dear. I love you so much. It's going to be okay. You have nothing to wo-"

Before she can finish her sentence, a loud explosion goes off outside. Mother and I rush to the window, only to see that our worst nightmare is about to come true.

_It…it's happening!_

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**You made it through chapter one! YAY! Hopefully it wasn't too cringeworthy :P (it's honestly why I still haven't revised it yet. I'm too scared to re-read it haha) I hope you continue on and enjoy the rest~**

**See you in the next chapter! (pls) *explodes***


	2. Chapter 2

Hello! Here it is! Chapter 2! I got this out a lot earlier than I expected! But don't expect that for all the chapters :P

Oh and I wasn't originally going to do it, but I've decided to give Cobalt's parents names. I terrible at thinking of names (hence the uncreative town names) so I named the father Leo and mother Ruka...Rukaleo...Lucario...yeah I suck :/

Oh and a huge thanks to you guys that are following/favoriting the story and to those that left reviews! It makes me happy that people are enjoying this :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon!

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"Cobalt, get the backpack ready, we have to get out of here," Mother said with her eyes wide in terror.

"R-right!" I grabbed the backpack and followed Mother out my room. With my Mienfoo doll in my hand, I looked at my room one last time, thinking that this may be the last time I ever see it.

"Cobalt!" Mother yelled out. I shook my head and snapped out of it, and followed her out of the house.

It was a complete disaster. Everyone was running for their lives with screams of terror. Smoke was rising in the distance, a sign that buildings were on fire. There were no signs of enemies here yet, but that didn't stop everyone from rushing out of their homes and screaming for their lives.

"They're here! The Demon's Fang is here!"

"Run for your lives! Get out of here before they reach here!"

"We're all going to die!"

I couldn't take it. This is way too much for me. I broke down and starting bawling my eyes out and paralyzed with fear. "N-no…this can't be…we're going to…"

Mother knelt down so she was at eye level at me. "Cobalt! You're going to be fine! Now snap out of! You have to get out of here! Remember, just get out of here and find shelter! I'll take you to the edge of town so you can run!"

"B-but what about Father?! Where is he? I want to see him first!" I cried. I knew I had to follow the plan, but I couldn't shake off the feeling that this was the last time I was going to see my parents. I want to see Father before I run for it.

"There's no time for that! I'm sure he's out there fighting off the enemy, so let's ge-"

A huge explosion bursts through the neighborhood. Mother and I try to take cover, but the blast is so powerful that the shockwaves hit us and send us up in the air, along with everyone else.

"Cobalt!" Mouther shouts out as she reaches for me. She grabs me and holds onto me tightly and makes a perfect landing, leaving the both of us unhurt. We both look up in horror.

The enemy was here, the Demon's Fang is here! Mightyenas, Absols, Houndooms…there were a ton of dark types! I also noticed that there were some Electrodes with them, most likely the ones causing the explosions. And they weren't the only things I noticed…the ground was littered with blood, limbs, and bodies…

"OH MY GOD!"

"NOOOO!"

"T-THEY'RE HERE!"

I could hear all the cries and screams. I bury my face onto Mother's chest and scream with the top of my lungs.

"No..." Mother said while taking a step back. "Hold on tight Cobalt!" And in the blink of an eye, we were out of there. Mother's Extreme Speed is nothing to laugh at.

As I hold on to her, I noticed that I dropped my Mienfoo doll. "M-mother! Wait! I dropped my Mienfoo doll, we have to go back!" I said desperately.

"Cobalt, we can't go back! The enemy has reached here and we need to get out!" She yelled back at me.

"B-but..." I knew we couldn't go back for it, but that didn't stop me from panicking and crying. I try to look back and see if I could still see where I dropped it. I instantly regret it as I am reminded at what we just left: blood, dead bodies, and fighting. Many of the townspeople were fighting off the Demon's Fang, and though it looked like they were winning, but I can see the bodies of both the townspeople and Demon's Fang on the ground. I gasp loudly at the scene and close my eyes tightly, attempting to ward off any signs of this attack.

"It's going to be okay dear…" Mother tries to soothe me, but it doesn't really work. However I pretend it does and nod back at her.

Mother continues her Extreme Speed and swiftly avoids any encounters with the enemy. However, it also means we avoid the townspeople screaming for their lives. It pains me so much to hear all the yelling. I try to cover my ears and bury my face on Mother in futile attempts to block out the current situation.

"Just a little further…" This causes me to look at and see where we are. We're just barely at the edge of town, and I can see the forest. _"Plum and I have had some fun adventures in that forest. I hope she's okay…" _I thought to myself.

All of the sudden Mother stops running and jumps back. An explosion bursts right in front of us, and we could've been caught in the middle of that if not for Mother's quick reaction.

"Wh-what was that?!" I shout out.

"A Shadow Ball, and an extremely powerful one. That could've been bad if I didn't see that in time. Whoever sent that must be really strong." Mother said back quietly. She gets in a fighting stance as she still holds onto me, scanning the area for the source of that Shadow Ball.

"Hahaha! You must be really skilled to dodge one of my attacks!" A mysterious voice said.

"Who said that?! Show yourself!" Mother shouted back.

"Show myself? But I'm right here!" the voice said.

Mother gasped as she turned around and just barely blocked a Feint Attack. The attack caused her to slide back a bit and almost lose her grip on me.

"Augh!" Mother yells, as she looks up to see who did that. In front of us is a Zoroark. He looked extremely menacing and strong. The red marks around his eyes and mouth were the same color as blood, making him look especially terrifying. His eyes were a bright teal color, contrasting blood red and deep black color of his fur. He had the biggest and most disgusting grin on his face that I've ever seen. Overall, I could instantly tell this guy was pure evil.

"Haha! Most impressive! You really are tough! It's gonna be that much more satisfying to kill you!" the Zoroark shouted evilly. And in the blink of an eye, he reappears right in front of us again with a Feint Attack prepared to strike us. I scream and hold even tighter on Mother, while she just closes her eyes trying to block that attack from me.

I keep my eyes shut tight, but nothing happened? I heard Mother gasp, so I open my eyes and look to see what happened.

"Leo!"

"Father!"

There he is! Just like a hero, he appears out of nowhere and saves us just in time! From his current stance, it looks like he gave that stupid Zoroark a fast Bullet Punch right in the face. The impact of the attack made his appendages flow with the wind, making him extra cooler than usual! I look to the side and see that the Zoroark is down on the ground.

"Ruka, Cobalt, are you alright!?" Father turns his head to us and grins while winking, trying to look cool in front of me again. Only Father could still look cool in this situation!

"Yes we're fine. I'm so glad to see you safe!" Mother replied back, and steps forward to hug him with me in the middle. The three of us have a short bonding moment, and for the first time since this attack I feel truly safe.

"Father, I'm so glad to see you! You're so cool saving us like that! Thanks!"

"Heh, I know! And you're welcome!" he gives me a thumbs up.

"Awwww! What an adorable family! How disgusting!" Our family reunion is cut. The Zoroark finally gets up, rubbing his cheek where Father punched him.

"Who are you?! Why are you guys attacking us?!" Father demands. The Zoroark just chuckles and gives us a terrifying grin.

"Heh, you must be the leader of this place to be so strong. Well it just so happens I too am a leader! The name's Majin! Leader of the Demon's Fang! We heard about your recent success, and just had to come here to take it!"

"Th-the leader!?" All three of said at the same time.

"That's me!" He said back proudly. I just look at him with disgust.

"Why? You just attacked a town! Why are you here now?! Isn't that risky?! Why are you even doing this?!" Father shouted back demanding answers. His face had a mixture of fear and anger. I was terrified seeing him like this. I didn't even know Father was capable of making a face like that!

"Heh, that's exactly why we attacked! You guys weren't expecting this so soon! Plus this town is much smaller compared to Ore Town. However, it seems we may have underestimated your townspeople, you're definitely no pushovers! I've already lost a good chunk of army! Now, our goal here is to take all your materials. It will be a great resource for the Demon's Fang dream of world domination! So if you would so kindly give us all you have, I _might_ just tell all my men to stop and let you all live! Hahahaha!" He gave of such an evil and menacing laugh. I guess villains really do have evil laughs like in all the books I've read. That's what I feel like right now: inside one of my story books, because this whole situation is still just unbelievable to me.

"We won't need to surrender to you, because I'll kill you right here and now!" Father said as he rushed to him. Mother set me down to get into her battle stance too. "Stay close to me Cobalt! We'll finish him off and then you won't even have to run out of here!" My eyes lit up to what she just said. _"Oh please let that become real! I don't want to leave my home!" _I prayed.

Just as Father was getting closer to that Zoroark, a flurry of Shadow Balls went towards all of us.

"Argh!" Father tried to dodge them as he jumped back.

"Aahh!" I screamed as I grabbed tightly onto Mother while she shielded me.

"Cobalt! Ruka!" I heard Father shout out with worry.

Smoke from the attacks covered all our visions as we tried to see where that attack came from.

"Bwahahaha! Don't get so cocky now!" Majin shouted manically.

The smoke was finally clearing out. I could see Father is next to us again. He and Mother stand at opposite sides, trying to protect me. When the smoke clears out completely, all three of us gasp in fear. Weaviles, Mightyenas, and Absols have us all surrounded.

"W-we're surrounded! Wh-what are we going to do?!" I cried.

"Hahaha! There's no way out! Who's going to do the killing now?!" The Zoroark laughed.

Father grunted loudly, obviously frustrated at our current problem. Then he turned back to face me.

"Cobalt, you need to get out of here. Your mother and I will make a path. When we say so, you need to use Quick Attack and just charge straight through the forest. Don't look back and don't stop running."

"Huh?!"

"Remember the plan Cobalt, stay safe and stay away from here until you hear word that it's safe." Mother was also facing me now.

"I…" Do I really have to do this? "But what if-"

"No buts! You have to live! Now get ready and stay close, they're coming!" Father said, getting back to his fighting stance.

"Hahaha! Get ready to die!" The leader shouted as he ordered his men to attack.

Father and Mother take a step closer to me, trying to keep me safe, but it looks like it's going to be a lot harder to keep close to them. They're both moving around so much, fighting off all the Pokémon attacking them. I still can't believe this is all happening. I want to break down and forget this is all happening. But…but I can't! I have to be prepared for the signal to run. My heart is beating so rapidly right now. This is all too much…

Mother and Father fight off all the nearby Pokémon and knock them away, leaving some space between them and the enemy. They use this to their advantage and both start to charge an Aura Sphere.

"Cobalt, this is it! We're going to shoot this and clear a path to the forest! Get ready!" Father shouted.

"Don't worry about us dear. It's all going to be okay. Remember, no matter what happens your Father and I love you so much." Mother said looking back at me and giving me a warm smile. Father looks back as well and smiles and winks at me. "We'll all be safe son. I love you, everyone loves you."

I…I'm just speechless. I start to cry again, I just want to hug them and go home and go on with our normal lives again…

The Aura Spheres are getting really big now, and the light coming from them is almost blinding. I can see all the power stored into the two spheres. I can tell it's starting to get too much though, and the enemy is getting close… I'm going to have to go in literally a second or two. Go and leave my normal life behind me. My home, my family, my best friend…

"Almost there…" Father says while trying to build up as much energy as possible. I get into my running stance and start up my Quick Attack.

"GO!" They both shout and release the Aura Spheres. I release all my energy as well and start sprinting into my Quick Attack. Just as I pass Mother and Father though, I feel like time stops temporarily. I quickly glace at both at them. They're both smiling at me…but also crying. Behind those tears I can see confidence, trust, and love in their eyes. I knew it, this is probably the last time I'm going to see them…but I can't let that stop me. I quickly say "I love you too" and time goes back to normal. The Aura Spheres make a huge impact on the enemies, and I can see a clear path straight into the forest. Or, at least what would be clear if it weren't for the tears…

I dash. I dash straight pass the enemies. I dash out of my home. I dash out of all the fighting, the screams, and the violence. I dash out of everything I love and hate and into the forest. I don't stop running, and I also don't stop crying. I swiftly dodge all the trees and whatever else might slow me down. I need to keep running. I need to fulfil my parents' final wish and survive…

* * *

After what feels like an eternity, I run out of energy and stop my Quick Attack. Exhausted, I collapse on the ground, overwhelmed from everything. I look back to try and estimate how far I've run.

"I…I think I should be good…" I say to myself.

After catching my breath, I get up to get a better look behind me. I can't see the town anymore. No buildings…or smoke. In fact, I can barely see anything. I've never been so deep in the forest before, let alone at night. It's also completely quiet. I start to tremble at how scary it is out here.

"It's so spooky out here. I can't see anything… Oh! I think there was a flashlight in this backpack!"

I remove the huge backpack and open up the flap. And there it is! The flashlight on the top of everything inside!

"I suppose this would be the first thing I would need. Mother would put this on the top! She's so smart and…on top of…everything….Mother…Father…" I start to stutter. I can't help but think about them and I instantly start to feel depressed.

"No! They'll be fine! I need to focus on finding some shelter for the night!" I smack myself to snap myself out of that mini slump. I turn on the flashlight and continue walking deeper into the forest, hoping to find somewhere safe enough to sleep for the night.

After what seemed like hours, I finally find a cave. I carefully approach it, hoping that it isn't already occupied. I haven't run into wild Pokémon yet, and I seriously don't want to run into one right now. I've heard about how wild Pokémon are: rude, territorial, uncivilized, and dangerous. I hate to believe in stereotypes though. Nobody would hurt a lost child that just lost his home, right?

"H-hello?" I say quietly, in case someone was inside and sleeping. I point my flashlight inside to see that it's totally empty. "Yes!" I say happily as I run inside. I make a quick inspection to see what it looks like inside. It really is empty, no signs of anyone ever living in here.

"Whew, what a relief…I'm so…tired…" I yawn. I remove the backpack and dig through the contents inside looking for the blanket.

"Geeze there's so much stuff in here! But that's a good thing I suppose. I'm probably going to have to live out here for a while…" I say as I remove all the stuff inside. As I take out cans of food and the first aid kit, I find the photo album.

"Oh yeah…I forgot this was also in here…" I pull it out and open it up. "I haven't looked through this in a long time!"

The album was only several pages long. But it was filled with memories. There are pictures of our first family vacation, birthday pictures, my first day of school picture, pictures of me and Plum playing in their backyard…I smile at every single one of the pictures. As I get closer to the end, I see that something is written on the last page.

"_Dear Cobalt,_

_If you're reading this, you're probably digging through the backpack to see what's inside! Or on a more serious note, the Demon's Fang has attacked and you've been forced to escape from home. We're so sorry it had to come like this, but we put your safety as our first priority. This decision hurt us so badly, leaving our only son to have to live all alone. We did not want to do this, but we felt like this was the best decision. We know that you're brave, smart, and strong, so we have no doubt in our minds that you'll be able to survive just fine out there in the wild. Please, try to head towards the capital, Iron City. Look for the royal family; they should be able to help you there._

_In case something ever happens to us, we want you to know that we love you so very much. Grow up big and strong, and live a happy life, even if it means we're not there to watch it. Live life the way you want it. We're both so proud of you and always will be. You have been our greatest treasure in our lives. We love you, and will always love you forever._

_ -Mother and Father"_

As I look down on the album, I can see drops starting to fall on the page, as if it was raining. Tears start pouring out of my eyes, as if my eyes were faucets. I… I can't take it. I can't. I thought I could do this, but I can't. They wrote this knowing what was going to happen. They wrote this knowing that they may not survive it. I don't want this. I need my Mother. I need my Father. I collapse on the ground, lying in fetal position while embracing the photo album. "Mother! Father!" I cried out with the top of my lungs. My eyes and throat are starting to hurt from all the crying and screaming I've done in the past couple of hours. I finally broke, and my parents weren't there to fix it, and I just have this persisting feeling that they'll never be there to fix it.

* * *

I tried my best at making it seem exciting, but god writing fighting scenes is tough! I also tried to make this really sad, I almost started crying as I wrote the ending.

Anyway, thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Hello! First of all, I want to thank you to all of you that leave reviews and follow/favorite the story! Your kind words are so inspiring to me and make me feel so happy! Shout out to EvandroP that even said that I seem like a pro writer! Haha there's no way my writing is THAT good! (or even good at all *sigh*) But thanks anyway, that comment made me really happy :)

Anyway here's chapter 3! Lots of stuff happen in this one!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon!

* * *

It's been over a week since I was forced to run away from my home. I decided to head towards the capital, like Mother and Father wanted to me to. I figured if I needed to go to a town, I might as well just go there. Everything was going fine for the first two days; I haven't run into any hostile wild Pokémon yet. But on the third day is when things started to go downhill.

Mother had packed a tent, so that gave me shelter if I couldn't find a vacant cave or den, and since I couldn't find a vacant den on the third night I had to camp out outside. However, it turns out I was in Luxray territory and they were not nice or reasoning at all. I tried to talk to them but they refused to listen at all and just straight up attacked me. That was the first time I was hit by an electric-type attack, and god I hope that's the last. Besides the brief but intense pain, I was left without any wounds. However the electricity broke my compass, which I was using to navigate to Iron City. So now I'm lost and have been traveling aimlessly for about a week, hoping that I would find a town or village.

"This is getting really bad. I'm out of food and water and I have no idea where I am." I said to myself as I stand in the middle of the forest, staring at my now useless map. I ran out of food after about week. The past few days I've been able to find berries and even filled a bottle with water from the river. But even all that stuff is gone, and now I have nothing to eat or drink.

I try going through my backpack in hopes of finding something that could help me. No luck. It's a lot more spacious inside though, now that all the food and water is gone. It used to be filled with empty cans and other garbage since Mother taught me the importance of keeping the environment clean, but all the excess weight was slowing me down and wasting my energy. I figured in this life or death situation, Mother would let this one slide, though I still feel really bad for littering the forest.

"Mother…Father…what do I do?" I fall onto the ground and look down with my hands on my head, frustrated and scared. I've been scared for so long, I don't have the courage for this. "I wanna go home…" I cried.

"No!" I smack myself. "I told myself I would stop sulking and crying! I need to find some food and water." I stood back up. Mother and Father believed in me, so I need to believe in myself. I pick a random direction and continue on.

After hours of walking, I'm about to just give up. I found a single rawst berry so that kept me going for little while, but it was so bitter and disgusting that I could barely eat. I'm still so hungry. I can barely keep up my walking. I just want to sleep, and maybe when I wake up I'll have more energy to find more food. But I know that's a terrible idea. It's still really bright outside. I look up to the sky and see that the sun is up high, so it's probably around noon. If I were to sleep now, I'd wake up in the middle of night, and I do not want to have to risk dealing with the nocturnal Pokémon.

I keep up my struggle and after a while I see something in the distance.

"W-what's that? I-is that what I think it is?!" I hope this isn't some mirage…are there even mirages in the forest? Either way it's giving me enough energy to run.

I was right! It's a field of berries! Oran, pecha, leppa, lum, chesto…berries as far as the eye can see!

"It-it's a miracle!" I shout as I make a mad dash towards the pecha berries. Pechas are my favorite because they're so sweet and soft. What kid doesn't like sweets?

I stand in front of the tree and stare at the berries mesmerized. They look so juicy and plump! I've never seen such delicious looking pechas before! Though it might just be my hunger messing with me. Just as I'm about to grab them I hesitate for a bit. These berry trees are all planted so nicely and organized, and the berries look too pretty to be wild; these most likely belong to someone. Am I about to steal someone's hard work? I know that stealing is wrong, but…I'm starving here! I'm a lost child with no food, so I'm sure the owner would understand…right? Taking one or two wouldn't hurt.

I slowly grab one and frown at it. My brain says no but my stomach says yes. Hunger is such a terrible thing. I violently shake my head in an attempt to get rid of all my thoughts of what's right and wrong and prepare to take a bite of this delicious and juicy looking berry.

"HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING YOU THEIF?!"

I jump from the sudden yelling. That scared me to death! I look to see where that came from and see an angry Breloom walking towards me. _"Uh-oh I've been caught…" _I thought to myself.

"Um…I'm sorry sir! I didn't mean to take your berries! I-I'm a lost and s-starving child! I don't have any food and I don't know where I am! P-please understand!" I cried. I try to reason with him, but it doesn't look like he cares and once again I'm scared for my life. This Breloom looked insanely strong. I bet he'd be able to take on the Demon's Fang.

"Pfft yeah right! You're gonna pay for this! You stupid kids and bums are always coming to my farm and stealing my berries!" The Breloom shouted. He's completely furious and reasoning with him is not an option. So my only other option is to run for it. I charge up a Quick Attack and get out of there as fast as possible.

"Ha! You think that's gonna work for you?!" he said as I was running away. I look back and see him charging after me with a Mach Punch. My eyes widened as I tried to pick up the speed, but he kept catching up to me.

"_Oh god, this is going to hurt!" _I thought as I shut my eyes tight and brace myself for the incoming Mach Punch.

The Breloom must've put everything he had in that punch, because that HURT! The impact of the punch sends me flying into the air.

"Hmph, that's what you get! And stay out!" he shouted. I could barely hear it though as it was drowned from my own screaming. I was in the air for a while, and finally stopped when I crashed into a tree. I fall through the sharp and painful branches until I finally make impact on the ground. However, the landing could've been a lot less painful. I land not so elegantly and I scream in pain as I lie on the forest floor.

"Ow…ow…ow… that really hurt," my entire body is covered in scratches from the tree, my torso is aching from that Mach Punch, and my leg is especially in pain. That landing really did a number on my leg.

I attempt to get up, but I instantly fall back on the ground. My leg is in great pain. I put my hands over it in an attempt to ease the pain.

"I…I think I sprained my ankle or something…it looks a bit swollen," I reach for my backpack and find the first aid kit. I grab one of the potions and mentally prepare myself for the incoming stinging.

_"Ugh this is going to hurt too…3…2…1!"_ I counted mentally as I spray myself and my leg. "Ow! Ow! That stings!" I shout as I grit my teeth, trying to endure the stinging. I've only had a potion sprayed on me a few times, and they were on single areas. This time it was all over my body. After that terrible experience, I wrap up my ankle and slowly get up.

"Ouch, that's a little better…I think." I take a quick glance at my scratches and see them immediately start to heal up. I look up at the sky and see that the sun is getting lower; evening isn't too far off from now. "I…need to keep going before it gets really dark." I pick a random direction again and slowly start limping my way to…I don't even know where.

Several hours later, I'm extremely exhausted. The sun has started to set, and I still don't have any food. Luckily I found a river, so at least I won't dehydrate. I vaguely remember learning that we can survive longer without food than without water. My ankle is really starting to hurt since I've been walking all this time. I seriously need to find a safe place to camp out and get some rest.

As I keep up my struggle, I don't even have the energy to pay attention to where I'm walking. I end up running into a log and falling forward. And of course, I'm at the top of a steep slope, so my tripping leads to stumbling downhill.

"_Seriously?! Argh this is going to be even worse than the tree!" _I curse my bad luck. The slope is covered in rocks and bushes, and it seems like I run into every single obstacle. It feels like my entire body is getting punched and kicked every time I make contact to the ground, and especially when I run into a rock or bush. My backpack even gets loose and goes flying ahead of me.

"_Ouch! No! Not my backpack!" _I mentally scream. I definitely cannot afford to lose that or else I really am a goner.

I finally reach the bottom of the hill, and once again I'm screaming in pain. I have scrapes and cuts all over my body again. My arms are also in terrible pain. Did I sprain those too? I look at them and they're covered in bruises and cuts. I think I may have broken some bones, because they really, really hurt…

"Ow, ow, ouch! …Gah that hurts…really badly…" I remember that my backpack came off during that trip and I look up to find it. Luckily it's in front of me, but not in reaching distance.

"I…need my first aid kit…" I try to get up. Bad idea. My arms can't even lift my body up, and I instantly fall back down on the ground.

"OW!" I cried. Back on the ground, I try crawling myself towards the backpack. That didn't work either. If my arms can't even lift me up, what made me think they'll pull me forward?

I lie on the ground, completely exhausted and defeated. _"What do I do now? I can't even reach my backpack, my entire body hurts and is bleeding from the scratches, my arms and legs are both aching really badly, and to top it off I'm starving! I haven't really eaten anything for the past two days! Is…is this it? Am I just going to lie here to my death?" _I start to cry again. Even though I told myself I wouldn't cry anymore, I can't stop these tears. The exhaustion is finally catching up to me. I feel my eyes starting to grow heavy. I try to fight the tears and exhaustion away, but I don't even have the energy for that. I feel like I'm starting to lose consciousness.

"_This…this is really it…If I fall asleep here now, I have this very bad feeling I won't be waking up…Maybe then I'll see Mother and Father again…" _The thoughts of my parents make the tears even worse. I finally decide to just accept my fate and close my eyes. My vision turns completely black. This whole running away plan was a terrible idea. I knew I didn't have it in me. I don't know what strength or courage Mother and Father saw in me. I feel terrible that I wasn't able to fulfil their final wish. Their sacrifice was all for nothing. At least I'll be able to apologize in front of them. I'll be with them soon…

"Mother…Father…"

* * *

Hello! My name's Auburn! A fun-loving and adventurous 8-year old female Vulpix! Today I decided to explore the forest again! I don't have many close friends, so I usually end up exploring alone. But I do bring a friend or two with me every once and a while! Mint was just busy today so she couldn't join me. Mint is a Ralts, and she's my closest friend. Although I don't get to hang out with her very much outside of school since her parents are pretty strict.

"Hmm, it's starting to get dark outside. I should probably start heading home. I don't want to get yelled at by Mom and Dad again." I say to myself while looking up at the orange sky. I turn around and follow the trail that leads back to town.

"_Ah, I just love this forest. As much as I like being with my friends, exploring alone is also really fun! It's so peaceful and quiet. All I can hear are my foot steps and the nature: the trees swaying in the wind, the river flowing, the…wild Pokémon crying? Wait, what is that?!"_ I stop in my tracks from the sudden noise. I close my eyes and try to focus so I can hear where it's coming from.

"_*sniff*"_ I turn my head around the moment I hear that.

"It definitely sounds like someone is crying! Do I go check it out? What if someone is hurt?" I question myself whether I keep heading home or not.

"I should probably go look, I'd never forgive myself if I found out I just abandoned a hurt Pokémon." I say as I quickly make my way towards the source.

"_Mother…Father…" _I gasp and jump a little at the sudden, but faint voice. That scared me! Sudden and creepy voices like that always scare me. I was always a bit of a scaredy-cat.

"Wait, w-what if it's actually a ghost?!" Now that I think about it, this is all really spooky. I stop again and rethink my decision.

"W-what if this forest is actually haunted? B-but then again the sun it still in the sky, it isn't completely dark yet. B-but do ghosts really only come out at n-night?! But then what if someone is really hurt?!" I hesitantly gather up all my courage and my walking becomes a light jog towards where I think I heard the crying.

I shortly make it to an open area in front of a really steep looking hill. The slope is covered in bushes and rocks; it looks like it would be really painful if you were to fall from up there. I continue to survey the area until something catches my eye.

"Wh-what is that over there?! Is that a Pokémon?!" I yell as I see something blue lying on the ground near the base of the slope. I make a dash to find out what it could be.

I gasp at the horrible sight in front of me. It's a Riolu! He looks like a boy, and is definitely a kid. He does not look like in good shape. His entire body is covered in bruises and cuts, and his arms and legs look swollen. Did...did he fall off that hill? His eyes are closed, but I can see traces of tears on his face.

"H-hey, are you okay?" I slowly approach him. No response. "Hey! Are you awake?" I say even louder, but still no response. I gently try nudging his body to wake him up, but that again leads to no response. _"He's…he's not dead is he?!" _I place my ear on his chest to see if he has a heartbeat.

"It's faint, but he's still alive…I-I have to do something! B-but what do I do?! If only Mint were here, she could just teleport us back to town!" I start to panic. If I don't do something, this Riolu is gonna die. I just know it! I can't just leave him here, and I don't want to risk going back home and calling for help! It's getting dark and the nocturnal Pokémon aren't particularly kind.

"I just need to take him back myself!" I decide. I try to lift him up on my back, but he's a lot heavier than he looks. "Argh, w-why is he so heavy?! C'mon Auburn, pick him up!" I shout in frustration. I kept thinking about what would happen if I left him here, and somehow that gave me more strength, as I was able to get him on my back. I think this was called…an adrenaline rush?

"Oof! I-I did it! Now I just need to hurry to Cream's hospital. She can help him!" Just as I'm about to start my Quick Attack, something catches the corner of my eye. It looks like a backpack.

"This is probably his. I better grab it too." I slowly walk towards the backpack. It's really, really tough walking with someone on your back. I've never had to carry anyone before.

I pick up the backpack and carry it with my mouth. "_Ugh, this is heavy too! What's in here? Can I really carry all this back into town?! Ugh it's useless to think about it, I just have to do it!" _I thought to myself and get rid of any thoughts telling me that I can't do this. I start up a Quick Attack and try to dash as fast as I can while balancing the Riolu on my back.

I'm slightly deep in the forest, so it takes a while to get back into town. Luckily Cream's hospital is just a few blocks away from the forest. I make it back into town and swiftly go down the roads to Cream's, dodging and ignoring anyone that tries to catch my attention. I hear a few of the townspeople asking what I'm doing and who I was carrying, but I'm too focused on getting to the hospital on time. Although, they could've probably get him quicker than I could, since I'm just a small Vulpix.

"_J-just a little…further…" _I think to myself. I can start to see the small, white building in the horizon. I pick up my pace and put everything I have in getting this Riolu some help.

As I get closer and closer, I realize I might be going a bit _too _fast. _"Crap I don't think I can stop in time! Slow down, Auburn! Slow doooown!"_

Too late. I crash into the door and make a loud thump that the entire street can hear. The impact knocks me and the Riolu to the ground.

"Ouch, that hurts!" I shout while rubbing my head. …Wait! The Riolu! I quickly get back up and rush to the Riolu's side, worried to death that I might've hurt him even more.

"What is going on out here?!" I suddenly hear a voice and turn my head to see an Audino standing in front of the door, which surprisingly looks unharmed.

"Auburn? Why are you trying to break my do- *gasp!* what happened to him?!" The Audino covers her mouth with her hands, gasping at the unpleasant sight.

"C-cream! You have to help! This Riolu is in terrible shape!" I cried.

"Understood!" Cream rushed to the Riolu. She gently picks him up. "Oh dear, the poor child! I'll treat him right away!" Cream panics and I watch her run back into her hospital. I give a sigh of relief that I was able to bring the Riolu here by myself.

"_I hope he's okay."_ I slowly get up, pick up the backpack, and make my way into the hospital. I head straight for one of the chairs in the waiting area and collapse from exhaustion, trying to catch my breath after all that. I was breathing and sweating so hard! I've never been so tired before! I slouch on the chair and examine the room.

Cream's hospital is a small, white building with a red cross painted on the top, owned and operated by Cream herself. The hospital itself consists of a reception area and mini pharmacy where you can buy all sorts of medicines. Then there are several rooms and an emergency room, which is where Cream and the Riolu are right now since the light above the room is on. The second floor is where Cream lives. There's a bigger hospital in town, but Cream is definitely the better doctor. Plus she's a really good family friend and a childhood friend of my Mom, so we always go here for our medical needs.

"Ah! I almost forgot! I was supposed to be home a long time ago! Oh man I'm gonna be in so much trouble…but I can't go home now! I'm too worried about that Riolu…" I stare at the entrance to the emergency room.

"I really hope he's okay. What could've happened to him? He said 'mother' and 'father' before I found him. His parents must be so worried…ugh mine are probably really worried too." I get up from my seat and ponder on whether I should go home or not.

"Ugh what do I do?! Do I stay? Or do I go home? I really want to stay, but I need to go home! Maybe I could go home really quick and tell Mom what's happened? But what if she doesn't let me go back out?!" I start arguing to myself while pacing back and forth.

"Auburn, what are you doing?" a mysterious voice interrupts me all of the sudden.

"Eep!" I jump from the unexpected sound. I turn around and see Cream standing in front of me. "C-Cream! You know I jump easily, don't scare me li-" I suddenly realize something. If Cream is standing in front of me that means…!

"I-I mean, Cream! That was pretty quick! How is it?! Is he okay?! He's not dead is he?!" I practically scream at her. I didn't mean to, I'm just so worried!

"Whoa, calm down Auburn! He's going to be just fine. You brought him to me just in time!" Cream says with a smile on her face.

"Really?! Oh thank you Cream! You're so amazing!" I leap with joy onto her, causing us to fall. "Haha! I'm so relieved!"

"Hey now, I told you to calm down!" she says while getting up.

"Oops! Sorry! I get too excited sometimes," I apologize.

"More like all the time! Now then, what happened to him? Where did you find him?" She questioned after making that sassy remark.

"I found him like that in the forest. I was heading home when I heard something that sounded like crying. I was really scared, but I then thought that it might be someone that needs help, so I went to look for the source of the sound. And there he was lying on the ground near a hill that was covered in rocks and stuff. That backpack was also near him." I point at the backpack after explaining what happened.

"I see…he must've fallen down from that hill. He's extremely exhausted and I could tell that he hasn't eaten in a while too…whatever could've happened to him? Have you looked inside that backpack yet?" Cream said with a concerned look on her face.

"No, I haven't. I didn't want to invade his privacy, but maybe something in there will give us a clue. Oh by the way, before I found him I could've sworn I heard a voice say "mother" and "father," I think he said that before he lost consciousness… Oh no! I still need to go back home! Mom and Dad are definitely worried sick by now!" I panicked.

"Don't worry about that Auburn. I called your home already and told your mother what's happened. She's actually on her way here." Cream reassured.

"As a matter of fact, I'm already here!" I turn around after hearing the door opening and see a Ninetales walk in. It was Mom!

"Ah, Arylide." Cream says giving Mom a wave. She smiles back at her.

"Mom!" I rushed to her and hugged her.

"Auburn! Cream told me you brought her someone badly injured! She told me you saved his life! I'm so proud of you!" she hugged me tightly. I cuddle into her chest fur and smile. It makes me so happy when she says she's proud of me!

"Speaking of which, Auburn how did you bring the Riolu here? He's not exactly light, plus you carried that backpack in your mouth! That's very impressive for such a small and young Vulpix!" Cream asked.

"I don't really know to be honest. I couldn't pick him up at first, but I kept thinking that if I didn't do something, he was going to die and I would never forgive myself. Suddenly I felt stronger and was able to carry him and the backpack and Quick Attack my way here." I said, unsure and still wondering how I did it.

"I see, that sounds like quite the adrenaline rush you got there." Cream nodded. "And good thing that kicked in! Anyway, would you like to see him?"

"Can I?!" I said excited.

"Of course. This way, can you bring his backpack in too?" Cream motioned us to follow her.

I grab the backpack and Mom and I follow Cream to the emergency room.

When we walk in, I see a sleeping Riolu on the bed with cords and other stuff attached to him. He has bandages all over his body, but he definitely looks in better shape than before.

"He was in very bad shape. But I've used Healing Pulse on him to reduce the swellings on his arms and legs and to heal the majority of his minor cuts. He has a few broken bones though, so that'll take a few days to heal up. He was also a bit malnourished. He hasn't eaten properly for at least two days." Cream says with her arms crossed.

"Oh my…" Mom gasps and puts a paw over her mouth. I frown at the poor thing. Though the cuts are mostly gone, he still looks pretty bad with all those bandages on him.

"He'll definitely be fine though. You did the right thing to go after that mysterious cry you heard Auburn. He would've died if you ignored him." Cream says while patting my back.

"Oh, I'm so relieved to hear that. It's a good thing I decided to go to the forest today. I was almost not going to go since Mint denied my offer for like the millionth time." I groaned. "I feel like Mint's ignoring me sometimes."

"Oh don't be like that dear. I'm sure she wishes she could play with you too! Some parents are just stricter than others. I should probably take example of Mint's parents seeing as how you didn't come home on time!" Mom scolded. I knew I would still get in trouble for not coming home on time.

"Buuuut seeing as how it led to saving another Pokémon's life, I think I'll let it slide this time." Mom winked. Or not! Mom can be so cool sometimes.

"Hehe thanks Mom! Sorry for not coming home on time!" I hugged her.

"No problem, dear. Anyway, what do you think happened to this poor Riolu? He's much too young to be traveling by himself. His parents must be worried sick!" Mom said with concern.

"I have no clue. Perhaps we could check his backpack for some hints?" Cream said while walking toward the backpack. We followed her as she opened it up to reveal its contents.

"Hmm, there's a tent and blanket in here, a first aid kit, a bottle of water, a map and flashlight…oh what's this?" Cream said while pulling out a small book.

Mom and I gather around Cream as she opens the book. It's filled with photos of the Riolu with two Lucarios. I smile at how happy they look together.

"This must be a family album. They look like such a lovely family…" Mom said with a bit of sadness. Every page has photos of the Riolu, and he has such a huge smile on his face. There were family photos, birthday photos, and some photos with him and a young Mienfoo. The two looks so happy and cute together, they must be great friends. _"Do I even have any photos with Mint?" _I think to myself.

"What an adorable and happy child! Whatever could have happened for him to be in his current state?" Cream questions as she turns to the last page of the album. "Oh, what is this written part?"

Something is written on the last page of the photo album. Mom moves closer to the book so she can read it, blocking my view.

After a moment of silence, Mom and Cream both gasp at the same time. Cream gasps loudly while covering her mouth with both of her hands, causing her to drop the album. Mom's eyes widen as if she's just seen a ghost.

"N-no…" Cream shakes her head slowly. I look up at her and can see tears forming in her eyes.

"T-the poor child!" Mom cries. She looks like she's about to cry too.

"W-what is it? Why are you guys crying?" I asked worried. I take a look at the album and read the message.

After reading it, I also gasp and take a step back.

"M-mom…a-are his parents…g-gone?" I stutter and look at Mom. She stares at me and frowns for a moment, and then nods slowly.

I look back at the Riolu, who I now know is named Cobalt, and feel tears forming in my eyes. "C-cobalt… poor Cobalt… his home, his p-parents are… Mommy!" I cry as I run towards Mom and hug her tightly.

"Shh, it's okay dear…" she says as she gently strokes my hair.

Cream wipes her tears away and picks up the photo album. She puts it back in the backpack and places that next to Cobalt's bed. She looks down at the unconscious and bandaged Riolu and frowns.

"The Demon's Fang…how cruel…"

* * *

The Vulpix makes her appearance! Auburn is here, saving lives! :P The life saving point is where I start taking ideas from the original story I was talking about. Pretty much everything else was my own ideas though. I'm just using that original story as a base plot I guess? I don't know lol

By the way, it's finally summer break! I hope I can continue to keep writing. I plan on keeping the schedule of a chapter every two weeks.

Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Hello! Sorry this took so long to get up (it's been about two weeks, so I'm not that late...ish)! But here it is: chapter 4! I hope you enjoy! And sorry in advance for any grammar or spelling errors. Dialog is confusing to write lol, but I've done a few Google searches to help me out! :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon!

* * *

_It was another peaceful day. The sun was shining bright in the clear, blue sky. The grass was green and spread as far as the eye could see. It was just absolutely beautiful today. The perfect weather for a picnic! Mother and Father both got the day off today, and they even let me invite Plum!_

"_These sandwiches are delicious!" I said happily._

"_Yeah theses are great! Thanks for letting me join again!" Plum agreed and thanked._

"_Haha, well there's plenty of where that came from, so dig in!" Mother cheered._

"_You gotta eat up if you wanna grow big and strong!" Father said while biting into a sandwich._

_It didn't take very long for the four of us to eat everything in the picnic basket. Although I think most of it went into Plum's gluttonous belly._

"_Ah, that was so good…" Plum said as she collapsed on the grass, looking so content and satisfied._

"_Geeze, you're such a pig!" I teased._

"_Well I can't help it if all this food is so delicious!" She argued back._

_I just sigh and shrug. Plum does love food after all, so there's no helping it. I looked up at the sky and see the sun is still high up in the sky._

"_Hey Plum, let's go play! It's too nice of a day to waste lying around! Plus you need to run off all that food."_

"_Okay! But what do you want to play?" Plum said as she got back up._

"_Why don't we play tag? Ooh! Mother and Father should join too! It'd be much more fun with more players!" I said excitedly._

"_Sure that sounds fun! What do you say Ruka?" Father turned to Mother for her reply. Mother slowly raises her gaze away from her book, looking a bit uninterested. She was always more of a reader than runner._

"_You guys go on ahead, I'll relax here," she replied as she turned her attention back to her book. _

"_C'mon put down that book and join us for some fun!" Father grabbed her arm and pulled her up._

"_H-hey, Leo! You don't have to force me up! Fine I'll join! But…" Mother turned around and put her book away. Then she dashed right at Father and tagged him, "You're it!"_

"_Hey! That's not fair!" Father shouted._

"_Too bad!" Mother laughed as she ran away. Plum and I joined her laughter and scattered away from Father._

_I was running around and laughing and having so much fun! But maybe I was having too much fun, because as I kept running away I may have run too far out. I couldn't hear Mother, Father, or Plum anymore._

"_Did I go too far out?" I looked around and saw no trace of anyone. I decided to run back to the picnic._

"_Mother! Father! Plum! Where are you?" I yelled. No response. _

"_Where did they go?" I went back to where I thought the picnic was, but everything was gone. I also noticed that it was getting darker outside._

"_What's going on? Why's it so dark all of the sudden? The sun was high up in the sky just a second ago!" I said to myself, starting to get a bit creeped out._

"_G-guys? Where are you? This isn't funny!" I kept searching for them. It was completely dark outside now._

"_Mother! Father! Plum!" I started to panic, "Where are you?!"_

"_They're right here!" a voice came out of nowhere._

"_W-what was that!? Wh-who's there?!" I stopped and frantically looked around to find out who said that._

"_That would be me!" A Zoroark appeared in front of me out of nowhere._

_I jumped back from the sudden intrusion. I looked up and my eyes widened. "Y-you! M-majin!"_

"_That's me! And the ones you're looking for…are right behind you!" he said so menacingly._

_I turn around and see the most horrifying thing my life: My parents and Plum, lying in a pool of blood. They weren't moving either. I scream at the top of my lungs. I start to feel sick to my stomach._

"_You…they…why?!" I start backing up and crying, and eventually make a dash for it, trying to get as far as possible away from here. _

"_This can't be happening!" I cried._

"_Haha! Run while you can! You'll be joining them!" the Zoroark shouted evilly. I ignore him and keep running with my eyes shut, but suddenly I bump into something and am knocked to the ground. I look up and of course what I see is the leader of the Demon's Fang._

"_Hahahaha! Say good-bye!"he laughed as his claws started to glow and form a Shadow Claw._

* * *

"NO!" I shouted while getting up.

"Ouch!" I yelled in pain. But the pain didn't come from the Shadow Claw…? In fact, I don't see the Zoroark anywhere, or the field that I was in. Then why am I in pain?

"Huh…? W-where am I?"

"You're in my hospital." I looked around the room and saw that I wasn't alone. An Audino was also in here.

"I'm glad to see you've finally awake." she said cheerfully.

"W-who are you?"

"My name's Cream." she smiled gently.

"Ms. Cream…hospital…so you're a doctor here?" I asked.

"That's right, the only one actually. How are you feeling?"

I took a moment to observe myself. My body was covered in bandages and I had some cords attached to me, which were also attached to some weird machines. I guess I really am in a hospital.

"I…feel some pain on my body, but I guess I'm okay…" I replied.

"I see. You were in really bad shape after all. You were covered in cuts and had some broken bones when you were found," the Audino nodded.

"When I was found…?" I questioned.

"Yup, little Auburn found you in the forest unconscious. If she hadn't found you, you very likely would've died."

"Cream!" a voice came from outside the room.

"Oh speak of the devil, here she is! Auburn, come quick! He's awake!" Cream said with her voice raised a bit. It wasn't quite a yell, but it was still loud.

All of the sudden, the door slammed open. A small Vulpix came running into the room.

"HE IS?!" The Vulpix, who I assumed was Auburn, gasped and ran towards us.

"You're awake! Oh thank goodness! You're awake! You're alive…I'm so…happy…" She started crying. Why is she crying?

"Auburn! Do not run in a hospital!" A Ninetales then also appeared in the room. She appeared much larger and older than the Vulpix.

"I'm sorry Mom…but look! *sob* H-he's finally awake! I-I'm just so happy!" she sobbed.

Finally? As a matter of fact, Cream also said I was finally awake…

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked worriedly.

"You've been out for a week already. You were recovering fine, but you just wouldn't wake up. Auburn here was so worried you'd never wake up. Oh by the way, this is Auburn and her mother Arylide."

"A whole week?!" I exclaimed. I must've really been in bad shape…

I looked over at the Ninetales, who smiled at me gently and bowed her head. Then I looked down at the Vulpix, who was still sobbing. She was so small; she had to be around my age.

"Y-you saved me?" I asked the Vulpix. She wiped her tears and nodded happily.

"Yes! I found you in the forest. You were crying and passed out and covered in injuries. I knew I had to do something. So I used all my strength and energy to pick you up and carry you to the hospital!" Auburn replied while wiping her tears.

"I'm so glad I was able to save you…" she started sobbing again. "I don't know what I'd do if you died…" she kept crying.

"Auburn, you did such a great job. I'm so proud of you…" Ms. Arylide walked up to Auburn and cuddled her to comfort her.

"I see... I'm alive… I'm really still alive… Haha! Mother, Father, I'm alive!" I shouted out of excitement. Everyone turned their attention to me.

"Auburn! Thank you so much! Thank you for saving me! I can still fulfill my parents' final wish! Their sacrifice wasn't for nothing! I'm forever in your debt!" I tried to get up so I could hug her, but that was a bad idea.

"Ouch, that hurts!" I fell back on the bed.

"Cobalt, you need to stay on the bed! You still can't move like that!" Ms. Cream said worriedly, rushing to my side.

"Ouch…wait, how do you know my name?" I asked.

"It was written in your album." Ms. Cream said while pointing towards something across the room. I followed her hand to see my backpack on a chair.

"We decided to go through it to see if there were any clues as to why a child like you was unconscious and alone in the forest." Ms. Cream explained.

"We found the album and…well, we found out why…" Ms. Arylide said sadly. Everyone's face turned dark and the atmosphere felt heavier.

"I-I see…so you read the note at the end…" I stuttered. I recalled the events that happened. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I feel myself starting to shake and tears building in my eyes.

"Cobalt, are you by chance from Miner's Town?" Ms. Arylide asked.

"H-how did you know?!" I exclaimed and wiped my tears. There was no way she could've known that. I don't think it was mentioned in the note.

"I see. It's just as we thought…" She said as she looked down.

"Do you know what happened?! Did the Demon's Fang lose?! Is the town okay? Are my parents still alive?!" I started getting excited. I'm finally about to get news about the fate of the town!

Everyone remained silent. Auburn started shaking, and she grabbed onto her mother and started sobbing again. Ms. Arylide looked down at her and tried to comfort her. Ms. Cream just looked away from me, not wanted to make eye contact. My excitement started to die out.

"They're…dead aren't they?" I said slowly.

"There…there were no survivors and the town was completely destroyed…I'm so sorry..." Ms. Cream said slowly. I could see that she was starting to cry too.

"O-oh. I see. So, the entire town and everyone is gone. I had a feeling Mother and Father wouldn't survive. Plum and everyone else too is gone…"

They were all dead. I'm the only one left. Mother, Father, even Plum didn't make it. All dead. I have nothing left. No family, no friends, no home. I finally know for sure that I have nothing left.

"W-well I guess I saw that c-coming. Heh…th-this isn't news to me. I shouldn't of set myself up for disappointment like that. I a-lready accepted that my parents were dead, that I was all alone and have n-n-nothing le-left…" I could barely finish the sentence. It all hit me at once again, and I broke down for what felt like the millionth time.

I put my hands over my face and cried. I cried and sobbed, I just let all the tears go. All the pain and sadness was just too much. I didn't care if the others were here, I didn't care if anyone saw me like this anymore. This is even worse than the first night. At least then there was a small glimmer of hope that my parents and Plum would survive. But now I know nobody survived. Everything is gone. Everything I grew up with, everyone I knew, all gone.

"M-mother! F-f-father! Plum, everyone! Why?!" I cried loudly.

Suddenly, I felt something embrace me gently. It was warm and calming. It…it reminded me of Mother. I looked up to see that it was Ms. Cream hugging me. She had tears in her eyes , as if she can feel my pain too. This only made me cry even harder. I hugged her back and cried with my face buried in her.

"I'm so sorry Cobalt. No child deserves this. Nobody deserves this. Let it all out, I'm here for you dear," Ms. Cream said reassuringly. Something about her presence was comforting. I continued to cry until I couldn't cry anymore.

Once I finally calmed down I break the hug and look back at her.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cry all of the sudden like that." I apologized.

"Don't apologize dear. Anyone would break down after hearing news like that." She smiled at me and wiped some of the remaining tears off my face. I gave her a sheepish smile. I looked back at Auburn and her mother. They both gave me warm smiles, though Auburn was still sobbing a bit. She must've been crying just as hard as I was.

"It's not all bad news though," Ms. Arylide added. "The leader of the Demon's Fang was also killed. They said they found his body along with many dark-types near two Lucarios. Reports say that one of them was the mayor and he and his wife defeated all of them before losing to their injuries. They also said that they had a child, but were never able to find the body. I assume that child is you?"

"Wait, really?! Those Lucario are my parents! They were fighting the leader and a huge horde of dark-types before making a path for me to escape!" I said excitedly. So Mother and Father were able to take down the all those Pokémon before dying!

"I see! Your parents defeated their leader, and the majority of the gang has also been killed. They said that a lot of the townspeople put up a good fight, but unfortunately they were all killed or died from their injuries. Nobody knows if there are any remaining members, and they haven't appeared even since the attack at Miner's Town. Many believe that they have been disbanded due to the death of their leader. The two Lucarios, I believe their names were Leo and Ruka? They are considered heroes for taking down the leader and ultimately defeating the gang."Ms. Arylide said with enthusiasm.

"Really?! Haha, Mother and Father are so amazing! They took down the Demon's Fang! They're heroes! I knew they had it in them!" I laughed. For the first time since running away, I feel joy and happiness. I'm alive and my parents are heroes!

"Wow, your parents sound like they were really cool Pokémon!" Auburn said happily.

"Haha, you must've really idolized your parents!" Ms. Cream chuckled.

"Yes! I've always wanted to grow up like Father! He was a strong and amazing Pokémon! Everyone looked up to him as our mayor and leader. Mother was also amazing and the smartest Pokémon in town! I was supposed to become mayor when I grew up too…" I sighed. But it looks like that's not happening anymore. Although to be honest, I feel just a tiny bit relieved that I won't be mayor anymore. Just a tiny bit, but I was still looking forward to it.

"Even though they're gone, I'm so glad to hear that died as heroes. They did their best to protect what they loved. I'm proud to call them my parents…" I sighed again. What am I supposed to do without them? …Wait a minute, I just realized something.

"_How am I supposed to pay for this medical bill? I have no money! And where exactly am I? I'm supposed to head to the capital and look for the royal family! Maybe they can cover me? Mother and Father did say they'd be able to help me…" _ I mentally panicked.

"Umm…" I said nervously.

"Yes?" Ms. Cream replied.

"Well, if you read the note in the album, you should know I'm supposed to be heading to the capital. How long am I going to have to stay here? And how much is this going to be? I don't have any money, but my parents said the royal family should be able to help me, so maybe they can cover the charges once I get to the capital…" I said without much confidence. I can't guarantee that they'll help so I really don't know how I'm going to cover this. I don't even know what they look like or what kind of Pokémon they are!

"Oh, you're already in the capital!" Ms. Cream winked.

"Wait really?!" I yelled.

"Yup! And you're looking at the royal family!" Auburn said proudly.

"I'm sorry?" I said confused.

"Hehe," Ms. Arylide giggled. "Auburn here is the princess! And that makes me the queen. Queen of the Fire nation! You're in our capital, Homura City!"

…

"WHAAAAAAAT?!" I yelled. Everyone else just giggled and smiled at me. Was this a joke? It's not a very funny one!

"I-I'm in the Fire nation?! How did I end up so far away from home?!" I panicked.

"Well, the Iron nation is our closest neighbor after all. We share the same mountain range and everything! Miner's Town isn't too far off from the border, and Homura City would be the closest town from the Iron nation." Ms. Arylide explained. It's true that the Fire nation is close to us. I remember Father saying once that the Fire nation is our closest and most important importer.

"And for the medical bill, don't worry about that. I never turn down a patient, especially a child with his life in danger!" Ms. Cream added.

"B-but there must be something I can do! I can't just have all this treatment for free, it's not right…" I complained.

"My, you're such an honest and good child!" Ms. Cream said surprised. She then paused and took a moment to think, as if she was considering my offer.

"Hmm, tell me Cobalt, what do you plan on doing once you're fully healed? Are you going to head for Iron City?" She asked.

I thought about it for a moment. I really don't have anything or anywhere to go. Seeking the royal family in the capital is what my parents wanted me to do.

"I…I guess so? I don't have anything else so I guess I would just do what my parent's advised." I said, unsure if that's what I really wanted to do.

"What?! Cobalt you're gonna leave right when you're healed?!" Auburn shouted worriedly. Does…does she want me to stay?

"Um, I suppose. I don't really have a reason to stay here. I don't have a home or any money."

"But I finally met you! Don't you wanna be friends?! You said you were forever in my debt!" Auburn whined. Friends… she wants to be friends?

"Shush Auburn; we can't force him to stay here." Ms. Arylide scolded.

"But he doesn't have a home or anybody! Why not let him stay here? He can live with us!" Auburn retorted. Live with Auburn…? Don't they live in a castle? That…that actually sounds really fun! To live in a castle…ah but I can't just stay with Pokémon I just met! But she did save me, and I owe her big time for that.

"Auburn, you know that the only Pokémon that can stay at the castle are royals and servants. And we can't hire a child to work for us. He cannot stay with us, even if he has nothing…" Ms. Arylide replied sadly.

"B-but Mom!" Auburn complained. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up like that. Getting to live in a castle was too good to be true. Heck just having a home was too good to be true.

"Then why not have him stay here?" All of us turned our attention to Ms. Cream.

"Live here with you, Ms. Cream…?"

"Yes, I'd love to have you here. Ever since I found out about your past and the fate of your home, I've been thinking about what you were going to do and how you were going to live. This may sound a bit crazy, but I thought 'Maybe I could adopt him?' I've always wanted my only children, and I'd hate to see you leave and travel alone again. What would happen if you were hurt again? And if you were considered my adopted son, I wouldn't need to have to charge you the medical bills!" she said happily.

I was at a loss for words. And apparently so were Ms. Arylide and Auburn. I looked at them and they looked just as shocked as me. I couldn't believe it. Am I really going to have a new home and start a new life?

"R-really? You'd let me stay here and give me a home?" I asked nervously. Ms. Cream just smiled and nodded.

"I…I don't know. I'm very grateful for everything you've all done for me and I know I can trust you all, but… I don't really know you guys. I've only been awake for less than an hour; this is all so much for me to process. I don't think I can decide on something so big so easily…" I said unsurely. It was all very tempting. They seem like nice Pokémon, but I shouldn't be so hasty on something like this.

"Yes, I understand. You did just wake up after all. No need to make a decision right now." Ms. Cream nodded.

"You'll be here for several more days, so take that time to rest and think about it. Now then, I need to do some work and check up on you, and you need to rest up so you can recover quickly!" Ms. Cream then turned to the other two.

"Auburn, Arylide, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave for now. I need to get to work!"

"Alright then, we'll leave you to work. Come on Auburn, time to go home!" Ms. Arylide said, walking towards the exit.

"Aww but I wanna keep talking to Cobalt!" Auburn complained.

"You can do that after Cream does her work and Cobalt rests up! You want him to heal quickly too right?" she glared at her daughter.

"Yeah… alright then." Auburn looked down sadly. But she quickly raised her head back up and looked at me with a big smile on her face. "Cobalt! I'll come visit later! I hope you decide to stay! I'd love to get to know you and become friends and show you around town and everything! I also need to introduce you to Mint! She's my best friend! Bye for now!" Auburn waved happily as she left the room with her mother. I smiled and waved back.

"That girl can be a bit spoiled sometimes, but she's really a good kid isn't she?" Ms. Cream commented.

"Yes, she reminds me of Plum…" I replied sadly.

"Plum? Is that the Mienfoo child that was with you in those photos?" she asked.

"Yes, she was my best friend and also the only other child back home. We were always together…" I sighed.

Ms. Cream frowned, "I'm so sorry…" she apologized sadly.

"No, you don't need to apologize. It's just still really hard to believe that everything I had is gone forever."

"Well, I know we can never replace what you had, but we can help you build a new life. Auburn would love to be friends with you, and I'm sure the other children would too." Ms. Cream said as she walked towards the door. Before she left, she turned around.

"And…I'd love to be your adoptive mother. I can never replace your parents, but I'd take of you as if you were my own. You could even call me Mother if you wanted to…" Ms. Cream said as she looked down sadly. She looked really sad and depressed. Did something happen to her in the past?

"Ms. Cream…?" I asked with concern.

"Ah! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to rush things like that. Anyway I need to go get some supplies so I'll be right back!" she said as she rushed out of the room.

"_What was that about?" _I thought to myself.

As I slowly lied back down on the bed, I stare at the ceiling and begin to process everything that's just happened.

"_Mother, Father…what should I do?"_

* * *

What will Cobalt do?! Find out in approximately two weeks in the next chapter! (though it's kinda obvious...)

Auburn's identity is also something I took from the original story. So far all I've borrowed is the fact that a princess Vulpix rescues a lost Riolu. Everything else came from my own brain :P ...I don't know why I keep bringing up what I'm borrowing and what's my own work, it's not like anyone's called me out yet lol (please don't call me out I don't wanna get flamed ;_;)

See you in the next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

Hello everyone! It's getting harder for me to think of what to write. I have like no creativity, so sorry if this chapter sucks :P And sorry for any errors like always.

Anyway I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon!

* * *

Not much happened the rest of the day. After Ms. Cream did some tests and checkups on me, I instantly fell back asleep for the rest of the day. It didn't really give me much time to think about what I wanted to do.

The next day I woke up to what I think was really early in the morning. There was a window in the room, and I can see that sun was starting to rise. It was still a little dark outside, but the sky was a beautiful red color from the sunrise. I wanted to get up and gaze at the sunrise from the window, but then I remembered I'm covered in bandages with several broken bones in my body.

"_When will I finally be able to move around again?" _I sighed. I turned my head away from the window to stare at the blank ceiling.

"_I really want to stay, but is that really the right thing to do? They saved me, so I think I can trust them. Ms. Cream seems to really want to adopt me as well. I wonder why?"_

My thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. I turned my attention to see that it was Ms. Cream entering the room.

"Oh, you're up bright and early! Good morning!" She greeted cheerfully.

"Good morning, Ms. Cream." I greeted back.

"Ah, again with the 'Ms. Cream!' Cream is just fine! Ms. Cream makes me feel old!" She laughed.

"O-oh umm…" I stuttered.

"Well, if it makes you uncomfortable, I suppose you can still call me 'Ms. Cream.' You're such a formal and well-mannered child to want to call me that instead!" She smiled.

"Oh well…my mother and father always told me to be on my best behavior and that manners are always important. Plum used to tease me at how formal and polite I always was because I was supposed to be the next mayor…" I replied sadly.

"I see… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up the past like that." Ms. Cream apologized and frowned.

"No, it's fine. I need to stop getting so sad whenever my parents are ever brought up." I frowned.

"My, you're such a mature child! It's only natural you'd get sad whenever they're brought up." She reassured. "Now, I bet you're hungry! I'll get some breakfast for you. I bet you haven't had home cooking in quite some time!"

"Oh! Umm, yes please!" I nodded eagerly. I don't think I've actually eaten since I woke up, and all I've had since then was berries and canned food.

"Hehe, just as I expected! I'll be right back then!" Ms. Cream chuckled and left the room.

After some time, Ms. Cream came back with a tray of food.

"I'm back! I made you some eggs and toast with pecha berry jam! With some juice and fruits and berries on the side!" She smiled.

I could smell the scent of the food, and it made my mouth water. It's been so long since I've had real food! Ms. Cream set the tray on a table next to my bed. I took at the tray and just stare at the all the colorful foods: the yellow of the eggs, the brown and pink from the toast and jam, the bright orange from the juice, and the rainbow that the bowl of fruits and berries made. I don't think I've ever been so mesmerized by food before!

"Haha, look at you! You're drooling! You look like you've never seen food before!" Ms. Cream laughed, while grabbing a napkin and wiping the drool off my face.

"Oh! I-I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to…u-umm this is embarrassing…" I can't believe I was drooling! What am I, a glutton? And I can't believe I let her do that! My face had to be redder than a cherri berry!

"Haha, you're so silly Cobalt! You're quite cute when you're embarrassed!" Ms. Cream laughed even harder, which made my face even redder. I just wanted to hid under the blanket and go back to sleep, which is just what I did!

"Hehe, no need to be so embarrassed! C'mon get out of that blanket before the food gets cold!" She said as she tugged the blanket from me.

"A-alright…" I said with my head down with shame…wait, how am I supposed to eat this? I can't really move my arms since they're covered in bandages.

"Umm…" I said nervously.

"Yes?"

"How am I supposed to eat this? I can't exactly move my arms let alone my hands very well…" I asked.

"I'll feed you of course!" She smiled.

"Oh! Um…" I wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"Is there a problem?" Ms. Cream asked with concern.

"N-no! That's f-fine!" I panicked. Luckily Ms. Cream didn't really notice.

"Good! Now open wide!" Ms. Cream said happily as she slowly brought the fork closer to my mouth. I was a little embarrassed by this, but I went ahead and slowly opened wide and took a bite of the food.

"So, how is it?" She said with anticipation.

"It…it's good! It's so good!" I practically shouted in joy. I haven't had real food in such a long time! It tasted so good, like it was cooked with love. Eggs have never been so delicious before!

"Hehe, I'm so glad!" Ms. Cream smiled warmly. She looked so happy to see that I enjoyed the food. It…it reminded me of Mother. I remember the last time Mother had to feed me herself. I caught a really bad cold and I was stuck in bed all day. I was able to move my arms at least, but Mother insisted she fed me…

"_M-mother, I-I *cough* can feed myself!"_

"_Nonsense, dear! You can barely speak straight with that cold! Now open wide, here comes the food!"_

_"..."_

"Here comes the next bite! Open wi- …huh? Are…are you crying? Why are you crying?" Ms. Cream asked with concern in her voice.

"I…*sniff* I…I don't know…it's just… *sniff* you're so kind and you keep reminding me of Mother…" I cried. Ugh I'm crying again. _"Do I have really start crying whenever I think of Mother or Father? I didn't realize how much a crybaby I am!" _

I tried to wipe the tears away, but then I felt the napkin rubbing my face again. It was Ms. Cream wiping the tears away for me. I looked at her and she smiled and hugged me.

"I'm sorry dear. I'm glad that I remind you of your Mother so much, but I didn't mean to make you cry like that." She apologized.

"I-it's not your fault… I just can't help it whenever I think of my parents…" I replied and broke the hug. Ms. Cream just smiled at me warmly again.

"It's understandable. It's still very soon as well, but time will help heal your wounds a bit. Are you okay now?"

"Y-yeah. Sorry…" I nodded and apologized.

"No need to apologize! Now open wide before your food gets too cold!" She replied cheerfully.

After breakfast, Ms. Cream did some checkups and used Healing Pulse on me a couple of times to speed up the healing process.

"Hmm, you're healing up much faster than I expected! Maybe you'll be out of here in less than a week!"

"That's good! I feel like I can move around a little bit now. Moving my hands and arms doesn't really hurt anymore!" I cheered. The sooner I heal up, the better! …Or is it really better? I still don't know what to do after this.

"Good to hear! Anyway it looks like it's about that time. It's getting brighter outside, so it should be any second now!" Ms. Cream said as she stared out the window, as if she was expecting something.

"About that time? What do y-" I asked confused, but I was cut off by a loud noise outside the room.

"Creeeeeeaaaam!" Suddenly, I see Auburn burst through the door.

"Hehe, that's what I mean!" Ms. Cream giggled.

"Ah, you're awake! Good morning Cream, Cobalt!" Auburn said with a huge smile.

"Good morning Auburn!" Ms. Cream greeted back.

"Good morning." I said while bowing my head. I can't exactly bow my entire body if I'm stuck in a bed.

"Wow, bowing? Cobalt you're so formal!" Auburn teased.

"You could learn a thing or two from him!" Ms. Cream scolded. …Why does this sound so familiar?

"Auburn! Y-you're waaaay too fast!" I heard someone say outside the room. We all turned around to the door to see a Ralts standing at the entrance. She was holding onto the door and heaving, trying to catch her breath.

"Mint! You're too slow! You need to get into train and get into shape! You rely on teleporting too much!" Auburn said back at the exhausted Ralts. …Why does this sound so familiar too?

"Auburn you're so mean! We don't need to rush! There's still some time before school!" Mint retorted back.

Ms. Cream giggle at their argument, but I felt like the atmosphere was getting a little awkward.

"Um…" I speak up, hoping to break up their little fight.

"Oh! Mint, come here," Auburn gestured Mint to come closer, which she did. "Cobalt, this is Mint!"

"Hello, nice to meet you. My name's Mint." The Ralts introduced herself calmly and bowed.

"N-nice to meet you too…" I said shyly and bowed my head. This would be the first time I was in a room with more than two kids, so I guess it's making me a bit nervous.

"Aw, don't be shy Cobalt! Mint wouldn't hurt a Caterpie! She'd probably lose against it anyway!" Auburn laughed.

"Hey! That's not true!" Mint yelled back, and then looked away. "…maybe."

"I'm just kidding! You could totally probably beat a Caterpie!" Auburn laughed.

I laughed at their little scene they were having. _"They seem so…close. Must be nice…"_

"Oh, he laughed!" Mint commented.

"Are you warming up to us?!" Auburn shouted excitedly.

"Umm…was I being cold?" I questioned.

"Well, you were being so nervous around Mint and all." She replied.

"I-I didn't mean to. I was just thinking that I've never been around more than one other kid…it was always just me and Plum back then…" I replied sadly.

"Plum? Who's that?" Mint asked.

"Was that the Mienfoo that appeared in some of the pictures from your album?" Auburn questioned.

"Y-yeah…she and I were the only kids back in Miner's Town. She was my best friend. You actually remind me of her Auburn. She liked to tease me and was always so full of energy. Her mother would actually tell her to be more polite like me all the time!" I laughed as I remembered my best friend.

"Hey that does sound like me!" Auburn commented.

"Yeah, especially the being more polite part! You're supposed to be a princess!" Mint added. They started laughing, and I couldn't help but laugh with them.

"It's so nice seeing you all get along! You guys would make great friends for Cobalt!" Ms. Cream said happily, "If he decides to stay that is."

"Oh, you're not staying Cobalt?" Mint asked. It almost sounded like she was disappointed, but maybe that's just my imagination.

"I…I still don't know yet. It's very tempting to just stay here. Everyone has been so nice and friendly to me so far, but…" I really want to stay here, but I just feel like it's not right for some reason. I don't know what's holding me back.

"But what!? See, it's tons of fun here Cobalt! We can become best friends and everything! You'll get a free home, make new friends, and start a new life! You literally have no reason not to stay!" Auburn practically shouted excitedly. She does have a point, but the idea of a new life just seems…a little scary I guess.

"Auburn! Don't pressure Cobalt on this! He needs to decide for himself!" Ms. Cream scolded.

"S-sorry…" Auburn lowered her head and put her ears back. Ms. Cream can be pretty strict when she needs to be.

We continued to talk about random things. It…it was actually really fun! Maybe I can really make some new friends here!

"Oh no!" Mint panicked all of the sudden.

"What?!" Auburn also panicked at Mint's sudden gasping.

"School's about to start! We have to get going Auburn!" Mint said as she starting rushing out the door.

"Oh crap!" Auburn panicked and rushed out too, but stopped right when she got to the door.

"Wait, why don't you just teleport us there?" Auburn realized.

"Auburn, you literally said I shouldn't always rely on it! And besides, you know it takes a lot of energy to teleport more than just myself!" Mint argued.

"Ugh why does that matter? You're gonna be out of breath if we run there either way!" Auburn argued back.

"Auburn, we have this argument all the time!" Mint yelled. She looked like she was starting to get really annoyed.

"Fine, fine, let's go! Cobalt I'll see you later!" Auburn waved at me and dashed out of the room.

"It was nice meeting you! I hope we can be friends! Good-bye!" Mint bowed.

"Have a nice day at school!" Ms. Cream waved back.

"B-bye!" I replied back.

Mint nodded and smiled before running after Auburn, "W-wait for meeeee!" Her voice slowly faded away as she chased after her friend.

"Hehe, it's never quiet with those two around!" Ms. Cream giggled. Then she turned around to look at me, "So, what do you think of them? They're nice kids right?"

"Y-yeah. Auburn reminds me of Plum so much, and I can kind of see myself in Mint. They seem like really fun to play with!" I said happily, but then I frowned because I see so much of Plum in Auburn. It hurts so much because I'll never see her again. She's gone along with my parents and everyone…

"What's wrong?" Ms. Cream asked worriedly.

"O-oh…I was just thinking of Plum…and home…" I sighed. _"Ugh am I going to start crying again?"_

Ms. Cream frowned and looked away. It was silent for a moment, and the atmosphere felt really heavy again.

"_I keep whining about the same things, is she running out of ways to react and cheer me up…? I don't blame her…"_ I thought to myself. I really don't want to be a burden to her, so maybe I really shouldn't stay. It continued to remain quiet in the room for what felt like forever, but Ms. Cream finally looked at me and smiled.

"Cheer up Cobalt! I know it's painful, but you have so many happy memories! I saw how you laughed as you talked about Plum! They may not be here anymore, but you'll always have the memories in your heart. They're never truly gone!" Ms. Cream said warmly.

I…I didn't know how to react to that. They're never truly gone…? She…she's right! Even though they're dead, they'll forever live on in my memories and in my heart…

I felt tears fall down my cheeks again, but I wasn't sad. I was smiling.

"Th-thank you… Thank you for everything, Ms. Cream. You're too kind to me…" I cried.

Ms. Cream smiled back at me and wiped my tears away.

"_She really is like Mother…"_

* * *

Over the next couple of days, my condition improved vastly. I was able to get up and move around very slowly for a bit, but Ms. Cream didn't let me leave the room. The pain was going away very quickly, and moving my limbs started to not hurt.

Auburn came over to visit every day, before and after she had school. Mint would accompany her in the mornings, but according to Auburn, Mint had to go straight home after school. It was a bit disappointing, but having Auburn visiting all the time was never dull. She would tell me all sorts of stories like the adventures she has in the forest, how a real school works when there's more than two students, and the most interesting: life as a princess.

Auburn told me that there's a lot of pressure being royalty, and you have a lot of expectations. I can relate to that, or at least, I used to be able to relate to that. She told me how the kids treated her differently because she's the princess. She says that they're all nice to her, but only because she's the princess and that she feels like most of them aren't really her friends. She says Mint is different because she likes her for who she is, not what she is. They really have a close bond, even though they argued almost every time they visited. Auburn also said that she takes extra classes that teach her manners and etiquette, but those seem like they don't really work based off her personality. When I made that comment she replied angrily, "I can be polite when I have to be! It's just really boring!"

She would also ask me how my life was. She was very interested on how school worked with just me and Plum, and what I did for fun and all sorts of other things. Although it hurt inside to talk about my past life, I didn't cry. There were times when I got sad and wanted to cry, but I tried my best not to. I took Ms. Cream's words to heart, and remembered that they're never truly gone, so I don't always have to cry!

We had tons of fun chatting these past days; I feel like I've grown really close to her. I've also grown very close to Ms. Cream. She treated me so kindly and reminds me of Mother so much. She cooked me food and read me story books. She told me stories of her childhood, how her and Ms. Arylide, who was the princess back then, were best friends.

The end of the week finally came, and Ms. Cream says that I'm finally able to leave. It was early in the morning. The sun's rays shine brightly into the hospital room that was my home for two weeks. Auburn and her mother have come to visit me on my last day, and to see Ms. Cream remove all my bandages.

I lie on the bed as Ms. Cream slowly and carefully began to remove my bandages. I watched her nervously, hoping that they aren't any cuts or scars left. I can feel that Auburn and Ms. Arylide are watching just as nervously as I was.

"And…there! Take a look!" Ms. Cream cheered.

I looked down at my body and was amazed! Everything has completely healed! No cuts or scars anywhere! Auburn and Ms. Arylide both gasped in amazement.

"W-wow! I'm completed healed!" I said amazed.

"Why don't you get up and try moving around?" Ms. Cream suggested.

I slowly got off the bed and moved my arms and legs a bit. I've tried moving around the room a little before, but I went ahead and tried moving around a bit more vigorously. I even tried jumping, kicking, and punching the air. Everything feels great! I feel like I never fell off that stupid hill!

"I feel like how I felt before this entire mess! Thank you so much Ms. Cream!" I jumped at her and gave her a tight hug.

"I-I'm g-glad! M-maybe you could h-hug me a little…l-less tightly?" She tried to say.

"Oh! S-sorry! I'm just so excited!" I apologized.

"Isn't this great Cobalt?! You're all healed up!" Auburn cheered.

"Heh, you never cease to amaze me Cream. You healed him up so quickly!" Ms. Arylide chuckled.

"Thanks Arylide, but I think it has more to do with Cobalt. He really wanted to heal up! My Healing Pulse is just as strong as anyone else's." Ms. Cream said rubbing the back of her head.

"No need to be so modest, we all know how great of a healer and doctor you are Cream!" Ms. Arylide replied.

"Yeah! It was all thanks to you I was able to heal so quickly! Thank you so much!" I agreed happily with Ms. Arylide.

"You are very welcome Cobalt!" Ms. Cream smiled, but then her face turned serious, "Now, the important question: what are you going to do now?"

All the excitement in the air was gone and all eyes were on me. Ms. Arylide had a serious look on her face, but Auburn was the complete opposite. She had a very worried expression and looked like she was about to scream and cry.

"You're gonna stay right?! I mean, we're such close friends now! Don't you want to stay here with me and Mint and go to school and make new friends?!" Auburn practically cried.

I remained silent and closed my eyes. I've spent the past nights thinking and asking myself this very question: What do I do? Do I stay or do I go? I tried listening to my heartbeat for an answer. I think I've already known the answer since I was first asked it. I was just too scared to answer, but honestly the other option sounds a lot scarier. And with everyone I've met so far, I think I have the courage to go my decision.

I opened my eyes and stared at Auburn. Then I gave her a warm smile and broke the silence.

"Yes! I want to stay here! I want to live here with everyone! I want to have new experiences, make new memories, and start a new life here in Homura City!" I said with confidence.

Auburn's worried face completely vanished and turned into a huge smile. Then she jumped towards me, knocking us both to the ground and gave me a tight hug.

"Yaaaaay! You're staying! I'm so happy Cobalt! You're gonnna love it here!" Auburn practically shouted in my face.

"H-hey, t-oo tight! I-I can't breathe!" I tried pushing her off. "_Is this how Ms. Cream felt just a moment ago?" _I wondered.

Auburn gasped and got off of me. She then offered her paw and helped me up. When I got up, our eyes met. I never noticed it, but Auburn's eyes were a blazing red color. Don't Vulpix normally have brown eyes? Well it's actually not that uncommon to have some difference than the norm…

We stared into each other's gaze for a moment before she broke it with a smile. I couldn't help but smile back at her. I looked back at Ms. Arylide, and she gave me also gave me a smile and nodded. Ms. Cream looked like she was about to cry.

"Ms. Cream? Are you okay?" I asked worriedly.

"Y-yes I'm fine. I'm just so happy! So you're okay with me adopting you and living here?" She asked.

I took a second to answer her. _"So Ms. Cream will be my adoptive mother…"_ I thought to myself, and then smiled at her.

"Yes!" I nodded.

This caused the already big smile on her face to grow even larger. Tears started to form in her eyes. Ms. Cream approached me and gave me a warm hug.

"T-thank you, Cobalt. Y-you don't have to call me Mother or anything, but I will take care of you and love you as if you were my own child." She said happily.

"Thank you…Cream." I replied just as happily.

She broke the hug and looked at me with astonishment, probably because I didn't address her as Ms. Cream. I figured if she's going to be my adoptive mother, I should call her something less formal. I smiled back at her, and she just starts to cry even harder.

"Well isn't that great Cream? You're finally a mother!" Ms. Arylide said. She walked up to us and gave Cream a big pat on the back.

"Hehe, I know! It's wonderful! And it's all thanks to you Cobalt. Thank you so much. I love you…son…" Cream said slowly.

"Son…" I repeated. My eyes widen a bit after hearing that. _"She called me her son…well she is my mother now but…"_

"Oh my, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't rush things like that! I just got in the heat of the moment…" Cream apologized.

"N-no, don't apologize. I am your son now. I don't know if I can call you Mother yet, but…I…I love you too." I smiled at her.

Cream gasped in astonishment, and then hugs me again, even more tightly and warmly, but not too tight. I can feel the love in her hug. This reassures me that I made the right choice to stay.

"_Mother, Father…sorry for not following your advice and going to Iron City. But I feel like this is the right choice. This is how I want to live my life!"_

* * *

Well there you go! This turned out longer than I expected! (thatswhatshesaid) I hope you enjoyed it, because I'm kinda iffy on it. Again, sorry if it sucked lol (please don't flame me ;_;)

Cobalt makes his decision! He won't regret it! :D Oh and I know eggs appeared but uhhh...let's just pretend bird Pokemon lay eggs like chickens and they eat them? haha...*sigh*

Things get really harder for me now though, because this is where I really start to diverge from the original story. Gotta get those creativity juices flowing!

Thanks for reading and see you in the next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

Aaaaahhhh I went past the deadline! Luckily no one seemed to noticed (yes!)

So I don't know how, but this somehow started as "what am I supposed to write?" to "how is this already 6k words?!" Nothing really happens in this chapter, so sorry if it's a bit dull. There's some character development-ish, and a few new characters pop up! Yay more characters!

Obligatorysorryforanytyposandgrammarerrorsandenjoycomment Oh and I've decided to change thoughts to not having quotation makes and leaving them in just italics. I think it looks better that way (thoughitsprobablystillwronglol)

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon!

* * *

"So," Cream said cheerfully while clapping her hands together, "Why don't I show you around your new home? And after that we can go out shopping for new things for you! And maybe even tour the city a bit!"

_New home…I still can't believe I have a new home!_ I recalled hearing that Cream's home is on the second floor.

"Oh! Oh! That sounds super fun! Can I come too?!" Auburn said, a little too excitedly. I admit I'd like it if Auburn could join us.

"Only if it's okay with your mother." Cream said in a playful voice.

"Mom? Can I go? Can I go? Can I? Pleaaaaaaaaase?" Auburn practically begs.

"Weeeeell, I suppose that's fiiiiiine," Ms. Arylide replied just as playfully as Cream did, "Just be home before it gets dark outside!" Ms. Arylide answered to the overly excited princess. Huh, I just realized that I've been addressing Auburn by her first name rather than Your Highness. And I don't think I've actually addressed Ms. Arylide directly. Would I call her Your Majesty?

"Yes! C'mon Cobalt, let's go upstairs!" Auburn shouts excitedly while grabbing my arm and tries to forcefully drag me out of the room.

"H-hey slow down! I don't want to break my arm again! You already jumped on me earlier!" I struggled against the hyper Vulpix.

"Auburn, you're hurting Cobalt!" Ms. Arylide scolded Auburn for what seems like the millionth time since I got here.

"Eep! Eheh, sorry Cobalt..." Auburn apologized and let go of my arm.

"Err, it's okay. And thanks Your Majesty, but she wasn't really hurting me…" I said nervously, trying to defend Auburn. I decided to try to address Ms. Arylide. I feel like it's the proper way to address her, since she is the queen and all.

"'Your Majesty?'" Ms. Arylide blinked then continued, "Very formal and polite! Just as I expected!" Ms. Arylide giggled. "But you don't have to call me that. You don't call Auburn 'Your Highness 'after all. It just sounds a bit awkward from children, but I'll be fully expecting it when you grow up!" She winked.

"O-oh! I'm sorry! I-I just wasn't sure how to address you. I didn't want to be rude, so I went with the safest route." I replied sheepishly and nervously rub the back of my head. "And I don't know why, but I feel…different towards Auburn that I just naturally call her by her first name…"

_I suppose Ms. Arylide is fine after all. _I thought to myself.

"Good! I don't like being called 'Your Highness' from my friends anyway!" Auburn cheered.

"In other words, he doesn't see you as a princess, Auburn." Cream teased.

"How rude! I may not act like one, but I am totally 100% a princess!" Auburn argued. Cream and Ms. Arylide laughed at Auburn for getting angry.

"Ugh, c'mon Cobalt! Let's get the tour started without Cream! This place is practically my second home so let's go!" Auburn stomped out of the room, obviously irritated from the adults' teasing. I watched her leave the room and then turned my attention to the giggling adults.

"Umm, this kind of seems like bullying…" I said quietly and uncomfortably.

"Hehe, ah no it's just harmless fun. Auburn gets so mad easily when we tease her about her manners and such. Plus I secretly do it hoping she'll finally become more ladylike and prove us wrong." Ms. Arylide winked. I can see where Auburn gets her silliness from… Ms. Arylide can have her…not-so-royalty moments too.

"Arylide, that's not how you get kids to do something, it only makes them angry…" Cream replied.

"Ah, I suppose you're right…but hey you're the one that made the sassy comment!" Ms. Arylide argued back.

"Err, yeah I guess I did." Cream replied and chuckled sheepishly.

"COBALT, ARE YOU COMING UP HERE OR NOT?!" A scream comes from outside the room.

"Looks like you two should head on up before Auburn gets angry for real!" Ms. Arylide giggled. "I'll take my leave now. Cream, I'll have all the paperwork sent to you later today so you can get all the legal stuff sorted out! Have fun and thanks for always watching Auburn!" Ms. Arylide bowed before she left the room. Cream simply waved good-bye and I bowed back.

"I can really see where Auburn gets her feistiness. You must really be close to Ms. Arylide to be able to have an argument with the queen." I comment quietly.

"Indeed! Auburn really takes after her mother." Cream chuckled. "And that wasn't really an argument, but Arylide and I go way back! Now let's start that tour!" Cream said as she left the room.

I followed her and left my hospital room that I called my home for two weeks for the first time and take a look around the first floor of the hospital. I saw the reception area and pharmacy to my left.

"Over here dear!" I turned my head to the right towards the back of the hospital and see Cream waving at me in front of a staircase. I suppose she would want the entrance to her living space away from where patients and customers could see it. I walked down the hall and as I passed a couple of other rooms I saw that there was a bigger room at the end right next to the stairs. It had a light on top of it shaped like a cross. _This must be the emergency room. I recall Auburn saying I was in there for the first night before I was moved. I must've been a huge mess if I required the emergency room…_

I made my way to Cream and we went upstairs. When we reached the top, we were greeted by an angry princess.

"Took you long enough!" Auburn said angrily.

"Sorry about that, I was just talking to your mother for a bit. And sorry for making fun of you, you know I don't mean any harm." Cream apologized.

"Oh, well I guess it's fine…I really am not too ladylike anyway…I just see no need to act so fancy when I don't need to…" Auburn blushed and looked away.

"Fair enough," Cream nodded then cleared her throat, "Ahem, welcome to my home!" Cream spread her arms out and presented place. I took a look around to get a feel for my new home. It was very…plain and simple. It was like one really big room. The living room was basically just a bookshelf, a couch, and a long table with some decorations on them. There was also a plant next to the only window to add some color and life in the room. The kitchen was right next to the stairs, and it consisted of a stove and oven, fridge, and a dining table and chairs. Off to side were three doors_. Two bedrooms and a bathroom I'm guessing?_

"So what do you think? I know it's a bit small and boring." Cream said, slightly embarrassed.

"N-no, not at all! It's very simple and lovely, I like it!" I said and gave Cream a warm smile.

"Cobalt you are such a sweet child!" Cream returned my smile, but then looked at her home, "But I know my house is boring, it really isn't suited for children I suppose."

"Yeah, there really isn't much to do in here and there isn't any space to run around or play…" Auburn added.

"You don't have to be so blunt!" Cream complained. Auburn giggled while I decided to walk around and take a closer look at everything. The bookshelf was filled with textbooks and magazines about medicine and healing. _Looks like Cream had to work really hard to become the amazing doctor she is now…_

I walk to the long table and observed the decorations. There was a vase that was a solid pink color, a small, old-looking radio, and several pictures frames. I leaned in and took a closer look at the pictures. There was one of a small Audino and Vulpix; that must've been Cream and Ms. Arylide as kids! Another one that stood out was one of Cream, a Gardevoir, and a Pignite. They were standing in front of what looked like the hospital, and were all smiling very warmly; it made me happy just looking at their faces.

"Who are they?" I decided to ask, pointing at the picture of the happy trio.

"Ah, that's…well…umm…" Cream had trouble finishing her sentence. I've never seen her stumble for words like that, so it was very unusual and suspicious. "It…it's a long story. I'll tell you one day, okay?" Cream finally said. If I didn't know any better, I would think that I saw the faintest frown I've ever seen on her face.

_Is she…sad?_

"Psst, Cobalt! That's some sensitive territory you're getting into." Auburn whispered in my ear. _When did she get so close to me?!_

"Do you know who they are?" I whispered back.

"Not really, but I-"

"Kids! Come over here quickly!" Cream called us over to the doors on the other side of the room, as if she was intentionally trying to interrupt our whispering.

"The one on the right is my room and the one on the center is was my extra guest room. But it'll be your room now! The one to the left is the bathroom. Let's go in your room." Cream said as she opened the middle door. Auburn and I followed her in.

"Well, here it is!" Cream spread her arms out again as she presented the room. It was…even plainer than the rest of her home! The room was very empty; it only had a dresser, closet, window, and bed with no blanket or pillow.

"Yeah, I know this one is straight up boring. There's practically nothing in here! Even the dresser and closet is empty! No one has ever actually used this room, so I never bought a blanket or pillow for it. But that's what shopping is for! We'll make this room more child appropriate!" Cream said happily. She seems excited to go supply shopping, but I felt sort of bad for making her do it.

"Um, th-that's fine! I like the room, I don't really need anything. Well maybe a blanket and pillow, but I don't need any decorations or toys. Just having a roof under my head is enough for me…" I said shyly as I stared down at my shifting feet.

"What?! But Cobalt this room is so boring! C'mon you at least need some toys or some books or…or something!" Auburn shouted as if she was offended.

"Auburn is right Cobalt. This room is boring! Don't be shy! I'm your mother now; I need to make sure my child is happy! So don't ever feel like you're being a nuisance! Besides, I want to go shopping for my son!" Cream smiled and winked at me.

"I…umm…" I was speechless, but somehow found the words to continue, or at least I kind of found the words. "A-alright! Th-thanks m-m-mo…" I stuttered. I couldn't finish the sentence. Not like that at least. "Thanks Cream…" I looked down at feet again.

"Hey now, I told you that you don't have to call me Mother. Even though I'm your adoptive mother, you can call me Cream. I don't want to make you uncomfortable!" Cream put her hand under my chin and lifted my face so that we were eye to eye and then smiled at me.

_She really is too nice to me, and reminds me of Mother so much._ I thought for like the millionth time.

"Thanks Cream!" I smiled back and nodded, and she smiled back.

"So! Now that we've seen pretty much everything, why don't we head out? Oh, but I think it's almost time for lunch! Shall we get something to eat before we go shopping?" Cream clapped her hands together and asked us.

"Yes! I'm starving!" Auburn cheered. As if my stomach was listening to our conversation, it rumbled in agreement with Cream's suggestion.

"Hehe, looks like you're not the only one, Auburn!" Cream laughed. Auburn giggled with her while I rub the back of my head embarrassed.

"Can we go to Uncle's place?!" Auburn asked excitedly.

"Of course! I knew you were gonna ask that!" Cream winked.

"Your uncle's place?" I asked looking at Auburn confused.

"Yeah! My uncle owns a restaurant and his family runs it! It's called Royal Diner! He and Auntie are both Arcanines like Dad and they make some of the best food in town!" _So the king is an Arcanine huh?_

"Isn't it a little weird to have a royal working and operating a restaurant?" I asked, even more confused.

"Oh, um…"Auburn said nervously.

"Auburn's aunt isn't royalty, and her uncle doesn't actually have any royal blood either. His older brother, the current king, won Arylide's heart and passed down the responsibility to his younger brother, which he accepted with open arms. The restaurant has been passed down through several generations and is usually passed down to the oldest child, but that child went off to become the king instead!" Cream giggled and explained as we started heading downstairs.

"Oh wow! He sounds like a really nice Pokémon to do that for his older brother. It must be nice having siblings." I nodded. I've always wondered what it was like to have a younger brother or sister.

"He is! He's the best uncle in the world!" Auburn cheered.

"He is quite the nice fellow," Cream agreed, "But he can get a bit too loud and is childish sometimes. His wife is definitely the more mature and bossy one! Ah but he has a son, a Growlithe named Tangelo and he's the same age as you! I hope you can be friends with him too!"

"Tangelo is a jerk! He rarely hangs out with me even at school because I'm a girl." Auburn complained. She sounded more upset than angry though.

"Don't be like that Auburn. You know how boys can be sometimes. He still sort of plays with you sometimes, and he likes it whenever you visit the restaurant, even if he doesn't show it!" Cream tried to cheer her up.

"Hmph! Boys are stupid! Stupid Tangelo just doesn't want to be seen hanging out with a girl! He didn't care when we were younger! Why can't all boys be kind and polite like you Cobalt?" Auburn complained more, turning her upset gaze to me and waiting for my answer.

"H-huh? Uh, I don't know? I've never actually met another boy my age, so I wouldn't know." I answered awkwardly.

"Oh yeah, it was just you and Plum back then huh? Sorry…" Auburn said sadly and lowered her head.

"Hey don't apologize. We can't get sad all the time whenever my past is brought up." I tried to be optimistic about my past. I really can't be down all the time, and I don't want my new friends and family to be sad about it all the time.

"That's right!" Cream said as she opened the door and held it for us to leave the hospital. She then locked the door and put up a sign that basically said she was going to be gone for the rest of the day. Seeing that made wonder about something.

"Hey Cream, if you're the only one that works here, who runs the place while you're out?" I spoke my mind and asked.

"Nobody!" She replied quickly and so easily.

"Huh? But what if someone has an emergency or needs to buy something?" I asked dumbfounded.

"I don't run the only hospital and pharmacy here! Homura City is a big city! And if there really is an emergency, there's an emergency button next to the entrance that plays a sound only I can hear from anywhere! Audino have amazing and powerful hearing abilities y'know!" Cream said proudly.

"Oh wow! But what if you're all the way across town or can't make it back quickly?" I questioned.

"Yeah, about that…" Cream said sheepishly with her hand behind her head.

"She hasn't figured that out yet." Auburn sighed.

"O-oh. Why not hire other Pokémon?" I asked.

"Hehe, quite the curious one aren't we?" Cream commented. She might've chuckled but it felt like there was a bit of…anger or sadness in that comment. It was more like an awkward and annoyed chuckle.

"Psst, Cobalt, you really like getting into touchy territory today!" Auburn whispered.

"I can hear you! And no it's not touchy! I just have my reasons is all." Cream said while crossing her arms. I think I made her angry…

"S-sorry I asked." I apologized with my head down.

"Don't worry about it dear. Shall we get going? Royal Diner is just down the road from here!" Cream said happily and pointed towards what looked like a shopping district. Now that I think about it, this is my first time actually looking around Homura City.

We headed down the road, and I observed my surroundings. Homura City is much larger and livelier than Miner's Town. It appears that Cream's Hospital is located not too far from the main shopping district; just a short walk until we were in the heart of Homura City! There were many different Pokémon running about, going on with their lives, and almost all of them were Fire-types. There were Pokémon walking alone, Pokémon that looked like teens spending their weekend hanging out and having fun, and there were even families with their laughing children. That was someone that I definitely never saw back at home. All of the stores were also much larger than anything from Miner's Town.

"So what do you think?" Auburn asked.

"It's…really big and busy! I've never seen so many Pokémon just running around. It's a bit overwhelming to be honest. This city is just bursting with life…" I replied nervously.

"Haha, that's to be expected from someone not used to the urban life!" Cream laughed.

"Ah, look its Princess Auburn!" Someone shouted out of nowhere. Other citizens turned their attention to us, and a mini mob started approaching us.

"Uh-oh, it begins…" Auburn sighed. I looked at her confused.

"Your Highness! Good day to you!"

"How are you today, Your Highness?"

"Lovely weather today isn't it Princess?"

"Where are you heading to Your Highness?"

"Out with Cream today? Oh, who is this you're with?"

"Good day to you too. I'm good, thanks. Yes, it's quite lovely outside. I'm going out to lunch with Cream and my new friend. This is Cobalt, my new friend." Auburn answered her people so…quickly. She must be used to this.

"You mean the Riolu you rescued?"

"Oh he's awake and healed up! I heard about your past, I'm sorry…" _Err.._

"I still can't believe you were able to bring him here all by yourself!"

"You are truly an inspiration Princess!"

"Your Highness, I saw you when you were rushing him to the hospital. If you only stopped when I called for you I could've brou-"

"Ahem! The Princess, her friend, and I must be heading on now. You wouldn't want the Princess is starve now would you?" Cream said with confidence. She just straight up cut off all of the chatter from the mob!

"O-oh of course, my apologies! Have a nice day, Your Highness!" One of the citizens said. The others also said their good-byes as they went back on with their own business.

"Thanks Cream!" Auburn said cheerfully.

"No problem. I've been doing this for years with Arylide!" Cream laughed.

"Sorry about that Cobalt. Most Pokémon usually don't run up to me like that; they usually just greet me from afar, but there are some that like to get up in my personal space and bombard me with greetings…" Auburn explained and sighed.

"I-I see…must be tough." I sympathized.

"It can be sometimes..." Auburn looked away and started walking forward. "C'mon, we're almost there!" She said before she started running.

"It may not seem like it, but Auburn does love being a princess and she loves all of her people. It just gets too much for her sometimes, and she feels like they're only nice to her because she's the princess rather than for who she is." Cream looked at me and smiled. "Come on, we don't want to fall too far behind!" She said as she held her hand out.

I stared at it for a moment and then looked up at Cream. She smiled and I nodded back, grabbing her hand. We sped up our walking speed to catch up to Auburn. We eventually caught up to her and walked together the rest of the way. Almost everyone we passed by greeted and waved or bowed at Auburn, and she responded back with a cute smile.

_I'm glad to see that her people love her. She really is a nice Pokémon, I don't blame them. I'm sure they actually like her for who she is and not because of her title._ I commented mentally and smiled.

"Oh, what are you so happy about?" Auburn asked.

"N-nothing in particular," I stuttered, "Just…happy about everything I guess." I smiled.

"Aw, Cobalt you can be pretty cute sometimes!" Auburn teased and laughed.

"W-what's that supposed to mean!" I asked, embarrassed.

"Nothing! Anyway here we are! Royal Diner!" Auburn said, dodging my question. I looked up and saw that it was…very normal looking. I was sort of expecting a really big and fancy restaurant.

"I know what you're thinking, 'This is super boring and lame!' right? Well Dad and Uncle don't want to change it, even though they have the money to! They could make this shabby place look so much nicer!" Auburn groaned.

"They just don't want to ruin what their family has kept for generations, Auburn." Cream replied. "I think it looks fine. I quite prefer the simple look."

"No wonder your home is so plain and boring." Auburn murmured.

"Excuse me?" Cream said, offended.

"N-nothing! Let's go in!" Auburn said, avoiding Cream's death glare.

"Honestly…" Cream sighed. I chuckled nervously and followed Auburn into the restaurant.

"Welco- Oh, Auburn and Cream! Hello!" An Arcanine greeted us as we walked in.

"Hi Uncle Arc!" Auburn rushed over to the Arcanine and gave him a hug.

"Hello, Arc. You look like you're doing well." Cream greeted.

"Right back at ya!" Mr. Arc replied. "And who is this little one?" He asked, turning his attention to me.

"This is Cobalt, the one Auburn rescued and…well my adoptive son!" Cream smiled when she finished her sentence.

"H-hello, Mr. Arc sir." I stuttered and bowed nervously.

"Ah, so this is who our little heroine rescued huh? I've heard a lot about him from Big Bro and Arylide! He's very polite." He smiled and leaned down closer to me. "No need to be so nervous, Coba-wait…" He stopped suddenly then got back up. "DID YOU SAY ADOPTIVE SON?!" Mr. Arc screamed. Everyone, including the customers dining, turned their attention to him. I looked around and saw that everyone had very confused and concerned looks on their face.

"Er..ahem, sorry everyone!" Mr. Arc apologized to his customers. They all shrugged and continued on with their meals and minding their own business.

"Loud and jumpy as ever," Cream sighed as she gave herself a face palm. "But…hehe, that's right! I've decided to adopt little Cobalt here after hearing his story." Cream giggled and put her hand on my head, petting it. I wasn't sure how to react to that, but I didn't hate it. It made me feel a bit embarrassed though, as I felt the blood rushing to my face forming a blush.

"Haha, that's great! I'm happy for you!" Mr. Arc shouted, but not as loud as last time.

"Dad, why are you shouting?!" A small Growlithe appeared from one of the doors in the back.

"Oh, Tangelo! C'mon here, your cousin is here and she brought Cobalt!" Mr. Arc called back at the Growlithe.

"Auburn's here? Oh and that Riolu is here too?!" The Growlithe said excitedly as he rushed over.

"Hey Tangelo." Auburn greeted, though it sounded kind of forced.

"Hey." Tangelo said quickly to Auburn. "Is this him? The one you rescued and everyone's been talking about in class?" Tangelo said, pointing at me.

"Yeah, and he has a name you know! This is Cobalt. Cobalt, this is my cousin Tangelo." Auburn introduced quickly and in a somewhat monotone voice. _She really must not be in good terms with him. Hmm… _I thought.

"Hey there, I'm Tangelo! You're our age too right? Does that mean you're joining our class? Everyone's been bothering Auburn and Mint about you since they were the only ones allowed to see you." Tangelo said happily.

"U-umm…H-hi. M-my name's C-c-cobalt. And I u-uhh…don't k-know…" I said extremely nervously. _Am I going to be like this whenever I meet a new kid? _I mentally scolded myself.

"Hey, you okay?" Tangelo said with concern.

"You're scaring him Tangelo! Geeze don't bombard him with so many questions so suddenly!" Auburn complained angrily.

"What?! I'm not being scary or anything! Why are being meaner than usual to me?" Tangelo argued back.

"Hmph!" Auburn said arrogantly and looked away.

"H-hey now, s-stop fighting!" I tried to calm them down. "Sorry Tangelo, it's just I've never been around another boy the same age as me…back at home it was just me and my best friend who was a girl as the only kids." I apologized and explained.

"Whoa really? Only two kids in the entire town? That must've been boring!" Tanglo commented.

"Um, I guess so? I had lots of fun times with Plum though. It was never boring with her around!" I said happily and proudly for not getting sad. I don't always need to get sad!

"Well that's good!" Tangelo commented happily." As much as I'd like to keep chatting, I need to get back to the kitchen before Mom scolds me for slacking again. I hope we can be friends! Later!" Tangelo smiled and went back to through the door in the back.

"F-friends…" I said quietly and smiled.

"Isn't that great Cobalt? You have three friends now!" Cream smiled and patted me on the back.

"Yeah! Tangelo seems like really nice. Auburn, why were you being so mean to him?" I asked.

"Whatever, he's the one that's mean to me!" Auburn retorted.

"They're still at it huh?" Mr. Arc whispered to Cream.

"Apparently Tangelo doesn't hang out with Auburn as much, even at school. Auburn doesn't have many close friends so she's probably upset that he doesn't play with her anymore." Cream whispered back.

"Hmm I see. I'll figure something out." He said with a serious expression. That died out quickly though as he changed the subject back to the whole reason why we were here. "Do you guys just want the usual?" Mr. Arc asked.

"Yeah!" Auburn said happily.

"Hehe, you already know what I want!" Cream smiled.

"Oh, but what about Cobalt?" Mr. Arc asked.

"I-I'm fine with anything…" I said shyly.

"Get him the same thing as me!" Auburn said loudly.

"Alright then, make yourselves at home and I'll bring it right out!" Mr. Arc said as he headed back through the same door Tangelo did. _I guess that leads to the kitchen?_

I followed Cream and Auburn to one of the tables and took the chance to take a better look of the restaurant. It looked like your average restaurant, with simple decorations and nothing out of the ordinary: some plants placed in a nice fashion, works of art hanging on the wall, and some really old looking photos here and there. The place had a good amount of other Pokémon dining in, so I could tell this place was relatively popular.

I stopped and looked at one of the hanging photos that caught my eye. It was an old black and white photo of a young Arcanine standing in front of the restaurant. He had one of those smiles where when you see it, you can't help but smile too. There weren't as many buildings surrounding the restaurant in the picture, and the ground was dirt and grass rather than the current concrete sidewalks and roads, so it made me wonder just how long ago this was taken.

"That's a picture of my great-grandfather!" A voice came from behind me. I jumped from the sudden sound and turned around to see a laughing Growlithe with a tray of dishes.

"Heh, sorry didn't mean to scare you!" Tangelo laughed.

"O-oh it's okay. I jump easily anyway…" I reassured him. _I least, I've been more jumpy since I've had to run away…_

"So this is your great-grandfather?" I asked, getting rid of the depressing thoughts out of my head.

"Yeah, he's the one that opened up this place. It's been passed down my family since then. The oldest child would always take it over, but that chain was broken from Auburn's dad. My dad doesn't seem to mind though. He's been helping out here since he was my age and our family's been running it anyway regardless of who's actually in charge! It's just under his name instead or something." Tangelo smiled.

"I see." I noticed that his story sounded sort of like mine, with being passed down responsibilities. "S-so does that mean you're going to take it over one day?" I asked hesitantly, trying to see how he felt about his situation.

"Yup! And I need to work hard! I'm gonna have a reputation to hold after all!" Tangelo said cheerfully.

"Y-you don't mind? Doesn't that sound stressful and…a little scary?"

"Scary? Not really, but definitely stressful. It'll be a breeze with my family's help though! We've always been helping each other run this place, so I've got nothing to worry about!" He said proudly. I respond back with a shocked expression. _He's so confident!_

"Well, I better get these dishes back to the kitchen. Someone has to wash them! It's all I really can do since Mom and Dad say I'm too young to cook…" Tangelo sighed.

"Well we shouldn't be cooking, we're still kids! What if you cut or burn yourself?" I said sternly.

"Um, I'm a fire-type remember? I can't get burnt!" Tangelo said with a raised brow, giving off a look as if I said something stupid.

"O-oh! Y-yeah I guess so!" I said with my face turning red.

"Haha, but you do have a point with cutting myself or something! Knives are dangerous after all!" Tangelo laughed. "Anyway, see ya!" He waved and left back to the kitchen.

"S-see you!" I replied back and made my way to where Auburn and Cream were sitting.

"My, it looks like you and Tangelo are already becoming fast friends!" Cream said happily.

"Yeah I guess so!" I replied.

"Sure he is…" Auburn grumbled, looking very annoyed.

"You shouldn't be fighting with him, he's your cousin! Family should be friendly with each other…" I replied sadly. _You never know when you'll lose them after all…_

"He's the one that's not friendly with me!" Auburn retorted.

"Now, now, calm down Auburn. Being mean isn't going to help becoming friends again."

"I…whatever." Auburn said, defeated. I sighed at seeing Auburn so down. _There's got to be something I can do. Maybe if I was in their class too...oh yeah! _I suddenly remembered about school.

"Hey Cream, am I going to be going to school?" I asked. I noticed Auburns sad expression instantly change after hearing that.

"Ooh! Yeah! He's gonna join my class right?!" Auburn added excitedly.

"Yes, of course! Arylide is going to have the paperwork sent to me later today. You should be able to join her class as early as the end of this weekend!" Cream confirmed.

"Wow really? That soon? Isn't that exciting Cobalt?!" Auburn sounds more excited than me honestly.

"I feel more nervous than excited," I sighed, "But yes I am excited."

"No need to worry! Everyone will love you want to be your friend!" Auburn said happily, but mumbled something at the end. "Real friends maybe…"

"What was that last part?"

"N-nothing!" Auburn gave a fake smile. I couldn't help but worry. I looked at Cream, who was giving off a sad vibe.

We continued to talk about different things, like how school was going to work for me, or what I can expect. The more we talked about it, the more excited I got, but I also got more nervous. If only Plum was here then maybe I'd have a bit more courage, but as long as I have Auburn, I think I'll be fine. Eventually Mr. Arc came out with our food. I forgot that Auburn ordered for me so I really didn't know what to expect.

"So what did you order me Auburn?" I questioned as I looked at my dish. It consisted of a bowl of some sort of soup with two slices of toast on the side. It smelled quite delicious and the aroma was very enticing!

"It's the Chef's Special Soup! It's one of the most popular dishes here, and it'll warm you right up when you eat it in the winter! Uh, but I suppose that won't help right now with it being nice and warm outside right now. Anyway, I have no idea what's in it or how it's made, but it's delicious!" Auburn explained, giving me a somewhat confused smile, showing me she really doesn't know what's in it. It made me a bit uneasy, but the aroma of the dish was absolutely mouth-watering, so I decided to trust her.

I took one spoonful of the soup and my eyes lightened up instantly. _Th-this is…!_

"This is the most delicious thing I've ever tasted in my life!" I exclaimed.

"Haha I know right?! It's amazing!" Auburn agreed.

Before I knew it, I slurped up the soup and gobbled up the bread within minutes, and I noticed that Auburn did the exact same thing. I don't think I've ever eaten food so quickly before, but I couldn't help myself!

"Ahem…" A cough returned me from my slobbering state and I soon realized what I just did.

"My, even the ever so polite Cobalt can lose his manners!" Cream chuckled with a…somewhat fake and evil looking smile on her face. She looked like she was going to go mad and explode on us!

"Um…I-I-I…please don't hurt me!" Auburn cried.

"I'm so sorry! I have no idea what got over me! Please forgive me!" I started bowing quickly.

"Auburn how many times do I have to tell you to eat your food properly, even if it's amazingly delicious?" Cream scolded. I saw Auburn start to shrink into her seat. "And Cobalt! I can honestly say I'm ashamed of how you ate that! I thought you had manners!" _Ouch…that hurt…I already screwed up on my first day?_

"I'm sorry! I just saw how much Cobalt liked it and when I saw him start eating it like crazy, I couldn't help myself!" Auburn explained.

"It's my fault Cream, don't put the blame on Auburn…I promise it won't happen again and I'll take any punishment you deem appropriate." I tried taking the blame for Auburn. I didn't want her to get in trouble because of me. I could feel the tears already forming in my eyes.

"Pfft...hahaha!" Cream started laughing all of the sudden. _W-what is going on?!_

"C-cream?" Auburn and I said together.

"Haha..I-I'm sorry, I was just kidding! I was actually kind of expecting Cobalt to react to the soup like that…and then he got all serious when he thought I was angry at you two! Haha! Oh..a-are those tears? Oh no, please don't cry, I was just kidding dear!" She got a napkin and wiped the tears that were forming from my eyes.

…

"C-Cream! You can be such a bully sometimes!" Auburn grumbled angrily.

"S-so you're not mad? You were just kidding?" I asked quietly with hope in my voice.

"No of course not! Well…just a little at Auburn because I do tell her to eat her food more…gracefully, but not at you! I was just having a little fun. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that!" Cream apologized. "Well…I kinda did, but…you get the picture!"

I gave a sigh of relief after hearing that. "T-thank goodness! I didn't want to anger my new mother on the first day!"

"Oh! You called me Mother! Kind of!" Cream exclaimed.

"Did I? Oh...I guess I did sort of."

"Close enough! I'll take it! Maybe you will be able to call me Mom one day! I'm so happy, Son!" Cream said happily. She even started clapping her hands from excitement. _Does me calling her Mom really make her happy? I don't know if I'm ready to do that though…_

I must've been making a sad face because Cream's happiness soon turned into worry and concern. "B-but of course you don't have to! Remember, I don't want to make you uncomfortable!" Cream said with concern, as if she was apologizing. "A-anyway, it looks like you two are already done with your food, so I'll just take mine to-go and we can continue with our shopping!" Cream got up with the bill and her food so she could pay and get it packed for later. I took the chance to ask Auburn some question about Cream in this brief time we have alone.

"Hey Auburn, I've noticed Cream is a little sensitive when it comes to this whole mother thing. She always gets sad whenever it gets brought up." I whispered very quietly. Cream did say Audino have really sensitive and powerful hearing abilities.

"Um, I don't really know. All I do know is that Cream has always wanted her own kids." Auburn shrugged.

"Hmm…" I mumbled as I thought about the situation.

"But if you ever find out, make sure to spill all the details! Every time I ask it's always 'I'll tell you later' or 'maybe when you're older' and all those lame excuses!" Auburn complained.

"Kids!" Cream called from the front of the store, "Let's get going!"

"Ooh! Let's go Cobalt, time to go shopping!" Auburn exclaimed and left the table.

_Just what is Cream's background? I have a feeling it's not exactly a happy story. _I thought as I followed Auburn out of the restaurant to continue on our shopping adventure.

* * *

I've noticed I've ending most if not all the chapters with Cobalt thinking to himself. Uhhh...yeah I got nothing :/ I wanted more to happen, like the shopping and touring the city, but somehow this ended up being way longer than my other chapters so I decided to end it here. Again, sorry if it was a bit dull! I feel like the next several chapters are gonna be dull now that all the action and emotion is (mostly) over. BUT PLEASE DON'T LEAVE, I PROMISE I'LL TRY TO KEEP IT ENTERTAINING!

JUST WHAT IS CREAM'S BACKGROUND?! Find out in the next chapter! (or the next one...or whenever lol)

Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh I'm way overdue for this one! One of you guys even called me out on it! (you know who you are!) I got sick last week so I was coughing and blowing my nose all day and didn't feel like writing so...yeah sure let's go with that...ahaha...

Anyway! Here it is! Ignore any typos and grammar mistakes (actually don't. Call me out on them lol) and enjoy! :P

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon!

* * *

"Hope to see you again soon!" Mr. Arc waved out to us from the door. We waved back and thanked him for the delicious food.

"You know I'll be back!" Auburn answered back. She seems to be really close with her uncle. If only I could say the same about her relation with Tangelo. "So what's next?"

"Well we need to buy things for your room like a blanket and some toys, so I suppose we'll head to the department store. Let's head to Flaymart!" Cream replied back.

"Flay…mart?" I titled my head. "Is…that supposed to be a pun of flame and mart…?" I asked slowly. "It sounds like a really corny pun if you ask me."

Cream nodded, showing that I was right. "Homura actually means flame in some foreign language. Or at least that's what the owner says." Cream shrugged. _Well...that's sort of interesting I suppose._

"It actually does mean flame! Mom told me that there are several places in the nation with foreign names." Auburn confirmed. Then she turned around and pointed out at the distance. "Like those mountains over there! It's called the Kazan Range! All of them are volcanoes and kazan means volcano!"

"Oh? Color me surprised! I'm impressed that you know that Auburn!" Cream said with a playful tone in her voice. _Is she teasing Auburn again?_

"Of course! I'm the princess after all; I should at least know these things about my nation!" Auburn said proudly, puffing her chest out with a grin and her eyes closed. However, her moment of pride was cut short when she realized that Cream was teasing her.

"Wait a sec, Cream! Are you teasing me again?!" She whined.

"No, no! Not at all! It's good that you know that! Knowledge is always good!" Cream said with her hands up to show she's innocent. However the annoyed Vulpix doesn't believe her one bit and just glares at her. _I should probably break this up. I can't tell if Auburn is actually angry or not, and I don't really want to find out…_

"N-now now, let's not argue. Let's just head to Flaymart." I get in between the two of them to try to cool the tense atmosphere.

Cream looked down at me and smiled, maybe because I tried stopping a potential argument? "Yes, let's go kids!" She said as started walking, leaving behind me with an annoyed princess.

"Cream is a bit…carefree isn't she?"

"A little TOO carefree if you ask me! Why does she always have to tease me like that?"

I shrugged as a response to Auburn. "Maybe you just remind her of Ms. Arylide or something? They are childhood friends." I spoke my mind as I begin catching up to Cream, with Auburn by my side. "Or maybe she's trying to make you have a taste of your own medicine!"

"Hey now, don't start teasing me too!" Auburn nudged me jokingly. I chuckled at her playful nudge and she smiles back at me. _This is really nice, having Auburn around. I'm glad to have made such a nice friend._

The three of us regrouped and walked the rest of the way, deeper into the shopping district of Homura City. Again, many of the citizens greeted and waved at their princess, with the princess happily greeting back. A few of them tried getting into her personal space and bombarding her, but Cream quickly brushed them aside. I still found it a little hard to believe Auburn is really a princess, but after all that I've seen so far, she definitely is one! I guess not all princesses are super girly, ladylike and proper like in the fairy tales and picture books.

"There it is, just up ahead!" Cream pointed as she finished shooing a group of Pokémon away from Auburn.

I looked to where she was pointed at and stood in awe. "Th-this is huge!" I looked up at the huge building. It had to be at least three stories tall, and it was as wide as at least three stores from Miner's Town. It was bigger than the town hall back home! Pokémon were flowing in and out of the building. "So this is a department store? I've never seen one before!"

"Yup, it's pretty big isn't it? It's the nation's biggest department store! Actually it might be its only department store…" Cream informed me. "They sell everything here! It even has a food court inside!"

"Yeah, I love this place! The food court on the top is tons of fun!" Auburn said excitedly. "Even if it has a stupid name, I still love it! Let's gooo!"

We followed Auburn into the store, and I again stood in amazement of what it looked like inside! The place was filled with shoppers and aisles filled with groceries. The sounds of footsteps, registers beeping, Pokémon talking, and shopping carts moving filled my ears and drowned any other sounds!

"Woooow! This is amazing!" I shouted with excitement. "I've never seen anything like this before! The stores back at home don't even compare to this!"

"Hehe, you look like you're having fun! Come on, the home section is upstairs!"

Cream went ahead along with Auburn. I tried to follow them, but I was just too distracted by everything. I kept looking away and not paying attention to where I was going and I eventually got lost in this maze of Pokémon and groceries.

"Uh-oh…this isn't good." I said to myself. "Which way did they go? I could of sworn they were right front of me! Cream? Auburn? Where are you guys?!"

Though it was probably only a few minutes, it felt more like hours. There's just so much going on in here. I'm not used to so many Pokémon and groceries in one place. I was completely overwhelmed!

I stood still and tried to calm down. "Cream said the home department was upstairs. Should I head to the second floor? B-but what if they're looking for me on the first floor? Oh no what do I do?! This is so bad!" I began to panic and walked in a random direction. My pace started to increase as I desperately tried looking for Auburn and Cream.

"M-maybe I should just go back to the entrance? Or should I ask an employee for help? I can't believe I lo—OOF!" My chain of thought was cut off as I bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention!" I bowed continuously and apologized to whoever I bumped into. I was busy bowing so I couldn't see who I actually ran into.

"Oh no, it was my fault! I was just stan—Oh! Cobalt!" _Huh?!_

I stopped my bowing and looked up to see who could possibly know my name. In front of me was a small Ralts giving me a look of surprise. I return her look with my own shocked expression "O-oh! M-mint!"

"Cobalt! You're all healed up! And you're still here! Does that mean you're staying? Wait a second, you're HERE! What are you doing here all alone?"

"Oh Mint I'm so glad I ran into you! Yes, I've decided to stay here! And I'm here shopping with Cream and Auburn, but I lost them!"

"That's terrible! But you have nothing to worry about! Cream actually has amazing hearing abilities! She can even hear your heartbeat! She's probably trying to listen for you and is looking for you right now! I'm sure she'll find you any second now!"

"R-really? Oh that's so reassuring…" I sighed with relief.

"Mint, what are you doing?" A voice came from behind Mint. I looked up to see an elegant and tall Gardevoir with a shopping basket looking down at Mint and I.

"Oh sorry Mother, I just ran into a friend. Or rather he ran into me…a-anyway! This is Cobalt!" Mint introduced me to the Gardevoir, who turns out to be Mint's mother. I bow politely and introduce myself.

"Hello ma'am, my name is Cobalt."

"Oh, how proper and polite!" She said, surprised at my manners. _Every single time…_ I mentally sighed. "Hello I am Mint's mother, Sana. I hope Mint hasn't been any trouble to you."

"No, not at all! Mint is very kind and nice! She and Auburn are very kind and friendly! They would visit me every morning when I was still in the hospital!" I said happily. I looked at Mint, but she seemed to have flinched to my comment. _Did I say something I wasn't supposed to?_

"Hospital…? Oh you're the Riolu that Her Highness rescued!" Ms. Sana nodded. "And was staying at _her_ hospital…" She mumbled.

"I'm sorry?" I replied, tilting my head in confusion.

"It's nothing." She said back, ignoring my confusion. Then she turned to Mint and her expression turned serious. "Mint, how many times do I have to tell you to not bother the princess? And especially going _there?_" She whispered to her daughter, but I was able to hear the majority of it.

_Wh-what does she mean by bothering the princess? I thought they were best friends? And…there?_

I looked at Mint to try to see what her mother meant by that. It's sometimes hard to tell Mint's expressions when her eyes are mostly covered, but she definitely looked upset. I tried to say something to her, but before I could say anything, all the surrounding noise was suddenly drowned by a loud call.

"Cooooooooobaaaallllttt!" I looked back to see a charging Vulpix headed straight at me.

"A-Auburn?! Slow down you're going to crash into me!" I put my arms up and closed my eyes to brace for the impact…but nothing happened?

"Huh?" I lowered my arms and opened my eyes to see Auburn floating in front of me.

"H-hey, what's going on?!" Auburn panicked. I turned around to see Ms. Sana with her arm up, using Psychic to hold her up in the air, stopping the princess from crashing into me. Ms. Sana slowly lowered her arm, causing Auburn to gently return to the ground.

"Auburn, are you okay?" Mint said as she rushed to her side.

"Oh, hey Mint! Yeah I'm fine…" Auburn said sheepishly. "I'm sorry about that. Thank you for stopping my crash." She apologized to Mint's mother.

"Princess Auburn!" Ms. Sana shouted sternly, causing Auburn to flinch. "That is not how someone of your status should be acting! And what are you doing here by yourself?! Who is watching you?! The princess should not be wandering a store all by herself!"

"I..err..I…" Auburn struggled to find the words to explain. _Ms. Sana…is quite scary…_

"Auburn! I told you not to run off ahead of me!" A voice came from behind us. It was Cream!

"Cream!" Auburn and I said together with relief.

"Oh, so _this _is who's watching you? That explains a lot." Ms. Sana said disgusted.

"S-Sana…" Cream said sadly. Her expression instantly turned depressed at the sight of the Gardevoir. The tension around us skyrocketed, and both Auburn and I were confused at what was going on. Mint seemed to stay quiet and looked away.

"So, you were able to heal this Riolu here? This quickly too? Hmph, miracles do happen." Ms. Sana shrugged and taunted. Auburn and I gasped, while Cream just stood there with her head down.

"Well, good job on healing him I suppose. At least you were able to save someone _this _time." Cream instantly looked up at Ms. Sana, shocked and hurt. _I have no idea what's going on, but I do know that that was harsh and uncalled for. But…I shouldn't butt into their affairs…_ Mint continued to look away, but Auburn looked angry, like she was going to explode!

"Hey! Why are you being so mean to Cream?! Cream is an amazing doctor, the best in town—no, the best in the nation!" Auburn shouted, causing a small scene. I noticed the customers around us redirecting their attention to us and whispering.

"Auburn…" I heard Cream quietly. She looked like she was about to cry.

"Hmph, I don't mean to be rude Your Highness, but you don't know anything, so please mind your own business!" Ms. Sana said haughtily. She then looked around to see that a good amount of bystanders were watching, causing her to flinch. "Err, sorry Your Highness," she bowed, "Come, Mint, we're leaving." Ms. Sana said with a light blush on her face. She quickly turned around to avoid any contact from the bystanders. Mint complied and followed her mother, but not without looking back at us, giving us a sad wave good-bye. The three of us stood there speechless for a while, and the bystanders went on with their own business.

I decided to break the silence. "What just happened?"

"Yeah Cream, why was Mint's mom so mean just now? She's usually nicer…ish. Still strict as ever though…" Auburn added. Cream looked down at us, struggling to explain what just happened.

"I…I…well...it…it's a long story…I don't want to talk about it right now. I'll tell you one day…" Cream said quietly. She looked so sad and depressed; it made me sad just looking at her.

I decided it was finally my turn to help Cream. She's been so nice to me, so I needed to do something. I walked up to her and grabbed her hand. She jumped a little and looked down at me.

"Come on M-M-Mom…" I forced myself to say. I don't know why it's so hard for me to say, but I was able to do this one time! "L-let's go upstairs and go shopping for my room!" I smiled. Cream's eyes seemed to gleam, but the tears that were forming from before only became worse.

"C-cream?" I said hesitantly. Cream wiped the tears from her eyes, and gave me that warm, comforting smile I love so much. "Thank you Cobalt…" She managed to say. My smile only grew larger as I nodded at her. _I'm glad I was able to cheer her up!_

"Yeah! Let's go, let's go!" Auburn exclaimed as she started pushing Cream and I away, closer to where I assumed is where the stairs are.

"Alright, alright! You don't have to push!" Cream said playfully.

Auburn giggled and stopped pushing us. She went in front and led Cream and I, hand in hand, to where the escalators, elevators, and stairs were. We headed up to the second floor, which wasn't as packed as the first floor. On first glace I could see tools, cookware, and appliances.

"This way kids, the home section should be over here." Cream led.

"I'll stick closer to your side this time. We don't want you getting lost again!" Auburn teased.

"Hey! Sorry I was so overwhelmed downstairs! Besides it's not as crowded on this floor, I don't think I'll get lost." I pouted.

"Yeah, but there's a lot more fun and interesting things up here, so it's easier to get distra—hey, check out that weird thing!" Auburn stopped to look at some appliance thing I've never seen before. _…Really?_ I face palmed.

"Maybe I should be the one making sure you don't get lost…" I sighed and grabbed one of her six tails, dragging her so we don't lose Cream.

"Ow, hey watch the tails, they're sensitive! I'm coming, I'm coming!" Auburn complained.

After walking past strange tools and appliances, we finally made it to home and room section. There were tables, rugs, and other things to decorate a room with.

"Let's see…" Cream stood still, thinking. "It looks like the kid's section is over there!" She pointed towards the corner, where everything was smaller and more colorful looking.

"Ooh! I see dolls! Come on Cobalt let's go find stuff for your room!" Auburn grabbed my hand and dragged me across the room.

"H-hey now calm down!" I tried telling her, but her excitement caused her to ignore my words. I sighed, but smiled at how much fun she was having.

"Hey look! These dolls are super cute!" Auburn slowed down and stopped, letting go of my hand.

"Dolls?" I looked and saw a shelf display filled with Pokémon dolls and plushies. It was completely filled with fire-types, from the adorable looking Fennekin, to the strange, why-is-there-a-doll-of-this Macargo, to the legendary fire-types like Reshiram and Ho-oh!

"Their selection is quite diverse in fire-types, but is it all fire-types…?" I questioned as I scanned the rows of shelves for a certain Pokémon. "Figures they don't have one here…" I sighed heavily.

"That was quite the sigh. What's wrong?" Auburn said, concerned. My ears perked and my face turned slightly red, realized what I just did.

"O-oh, n-nothing! Hehe…" I tried covering up.

"No one sighs like that for no reason! Were you looking for a specific Pokémon?"

"H-huh? N-no, not particularly." I stuttered.

"Lies! I know what you were looking for!" Auburn grinned.

"Y-you do?"

"Yup, ta-da!" Auburn presented a Vulpix doll in front of me. But it wasn't an ordinary Vulpix, this one had burning red eyes, and…a tiara?

"Is…this a doll of you?"

"Yeah! Isn't it cute? It looks just like me! Well, it looks like me when I'm wearing my tiara. I usually only wear it during royal events. Mom and Dad wear their crowns whenever they're at the castle; none of us wear them whenever we're out in the public casually!" Auburn informed me. "They have dolls of them too! Aren't they cute?" She pointed to a different display which was a lot fancier looking. It was filled with dolls of Vulpix, Ninetales, and Arcanines, all wearing their royal headgear. "These are super popular y'know! We were all embarrassed about the idea at first, but when we saw the final produce we thought they were adorable and that everyone would love them!" Auburn said proudly.

"Wow, that's pretty cool!"

"Right? So, you want one right? Or I bet you want all three!"

"Umm…I think I only want one of you…" I blushed slightly. "I-if I keep it, t-then it'll be like you're always by my s-side…" I looked away, trying to avoid Auburn's gaze. _I can't believe I just said that! How embarrassing!_

I waited for Auburn's response, but she remained quiet. "Err…was that too weird? I'm sor—WHOA!" I was suddenly cut off by Auburn jumping on me.

"Awww Cobalt that's so sweet! Haha you're so adorable!" Auburn squeezed me tightly and nuzzled her head against mine.

"A-Auburn, I can't breathe! S-stop that!" I pushed her aside. She gave me a grumpy face and groaned.

"Aw, you're no fun!"

"We're in a store! It's hardly appropriate to jump on someone in the public like that."

"I couldn't help it! What you said was so cute and it made me so happy!" She said so cheerfully, causing me to blush.

"S-stop you're embarrassing me…" I looked away, my face turning redder.

"See! You're just so cute!" Auburn laughed.

"Well, you two look like you're having fun!" We both looked up to see Cream with a shopping cart. "What are you doing on the floor?"

"Oh, um n-nothing!" I quickly got up.

"Hey look Cream! Cobalt wants one too!" Auburn shouted while showing her the doll. "He can get one right?! He said if he had it then it would be like I'd always be by his si—mmrrfhmf?!" I quickly put my hand over Auburn's big mouth!

"Huh?" Cream tilted her head in confusion.

"N-nothing Cream! Ahahaha…" I tried to play it cool.

"Riiiigghhtt…" _Urk, she's not buying it… _"Anyway I don't mind getting you one! Those are quite popular y'know!"

"Really? Thanks!" I thanked her happily.

"Sure, no problem! You can let go of Auburn now…" She grinned.

"Oh! I'm so sorry Auburn!" I quickly removed my hand from her mouth, causing her to gasp for air.

"Geeze Cobalt what's your problem?!" She yelled angrily at me, making me flinch.

"I said I was sorry! And you were going to say something super embarrassing!" I argued back.

"But it was so cute! I want a Riolu doll now too! Then we'll always be together!" She said so casually.

"Y-you do?" I blushed in embarrassment. "B-but there are only fire-types here…"

Auburn turned around to look at the display, scanning the shelves for a non-fire-type doll with no success. "Hmm, you're right."

"I could probably make one! I'm pretty good with my hands! I used to sew a lot back in the day!" Cream offered and said proudly. "Though it's been awhile since I made a doll. It may take a while." She added, rubbing the back of her head.

"Really? I didn't know that! Thanks Cream!" Auburn jumped in excitement. "Oh! Hey Cobalt, weren't you looking for a specific Pokémon? I bet Cream could make one for you too!"

"Oh? What were you looking for Cobalt?" Cream asked. "I don't mind making one for you too!"

"Really?!" I exclaimed happily, but then my mood changed almost instantly. "Oh but…"

"But what?"

"It wouldn't be the same…" I looked down in depression and sighed.

"I see. It was something precious to you back at home wasn't it?"

"Y-yes…Sorry Cream, I really appreciate the offer though…"

"No, no! Don't apologize! I should be the one apologizing for bringing back sad memories to you and making you sad again!"

"I-it's not your fault! I'm okay Cream!" I tried cheering her up.

"Well, alright then…" Cream frowned, but then she smiled again as she grabbed some stuff out of the shopping cart. "Enough with being sad! Cobalt, I picked out some sheets and a blanket for you!" She said as she held up a blanket with sheets that were black with a blue fire design on them. "Almost everything here has a fire-theme going on, but I chose the blue flames because…well cobalt is a shade of blue!" Cream chuckled sheepishly.

"Hey that's pretty cool!" Auburn commented.

"Yeah, I like them!" I agreed.

"Oh, you do? I'm so relieved I picked a good one!" Cream sighed in relief. "I also got these matching curtains and rugs to make the room look nicer!"

"Oh, neat!" I said as I took a look at everything else in the cart.

"Hehe, is there anything else you want? Shall we look at some toys or books?"

"Yeah! Come on Cobalt!" Auburn shouted excitedly.

"N-no I don't need anything else!" I refused modestly.

"Nonsense! I already told you that you don't have to be so modest! Let's go get you some stuff!" Cream grabbed my hand and led the way.

"A-alright, if you don't mind…" I replied quietly.

"Hehe, of course I don't mind!" Cream laughed and I smiled at her.

We went across the floor, which contained a section with toys, sports equipment, books, and other things for fun activities. Auburn and Cream went ahead and started grabbing items off the shelves like crazy!

"How cute! This is perfect!"

"Ooooh that looks cool!"

"What about this? You definitely need this!"

"Ooh! Ooh! Cobalt we can play with this outside!"

"This looks like a good read! Oh so does this one! Hey, this one says 'Best Title Chosen by Kids and Parents!' We have to buy it now!"

"I have one of these! Cobalt you'll definitely have fun with this!"

Suddenly the cart was so stuffed with all sorts of toys and books, things we're starting to fall out!

"Err, isn't this a bit…too much?" I asked as I chase after a ball that fell out of the cart.

"O-oh. I guess we went a bit overboard!" Cream laughed sheepishly. "Well, let's go through everything and put away some of the stuff, then we can be on our way!"

I went through everything Cream and Auburn chose for me, and as much as I'd love to have it all, I can't take all of it! Auburn helped me decide what to take and after some tough decision making, the cart was left with a couple of books, a ball, a few action figures, a toy xylophone, a toy sword…

"Isn't this still a lot though? I didn't even have this many toys back at home…"

"Really? I think it's fine!" Auburn reassured.

"Yes, it's no problem at all! Let's go pay and then head back!" Cream agreed with Auburn. _Well, if she says it's okay…I still feel bad that Cream is spending so much on me…_

"I know what you're thinking! Stop worrying so much about it Cobalt!" Cream noticed the concern look on my face and cheered me up.

I nodded and smiled in respond. "Thanks Cream."

We headed to the check stands and Cream paid for everything. I caught a glimpse at the total and cringed a little. _Oh no, everything was so expensive! Urgh, even if Cream says it's okay I still feel really bad for her spending so much!_

"Oops, looks like we did go a little overboard. I guess we won't be eating for a couple of days!" Cream joked.

"See, I told you it was too much! This isn't something to joke about!" I argued.

"Oh don't be silly Cobalt! That was nothing!...kinda…n-no problem! The hospital makes enough for us to be fine! Ahahah…" Cream laughed nervously.

"That wasn't very convincing you know…" I glared.

"Guys, don't worry about it! I'll just ask Mom to help out a little and it'll all be good!"

"Auburn, you know how much I dislike taking 'donations' from the royal family…"

"Mom can't help it sometimes! She's just worried about your small hospital compared to Mint's mom's hospital!"

"Huh?" I butted in.

"Oh, Mint's mother Sana is also a doctor and owns her own hospital…" Cream sighed. "Her hospital is a lot bigger than mine and is fully staffed and everything…"

"Yeah, but you're the better doctor! I bet Mint's mom knows that too! No wonder she was so mean to you, it's because she's jealous of your skill!"

"Ahaha I wonder about that…" Cream said sadly. I looked at Cream and frowned. _Hmm, so Ms. Sana has her own hospital. I suppose that makes them rivals, but she was still incredibly mean to Cream, almost as if they were enemies…_ I tried to concentrate and think of ideas as to why there was so much hostility between them. _Maybe I'll ask for Auburn's help. Or maybe Ms. Arylide! She would definitely know something!_

We left the store with several bags in both hands. The sky has gotten darker, and there weren't as many Pokémon walking the streets of the shopping district.

"Wow time sure does fly when you're having fun! I should probably head home now. It's getting darker." Auburn said, looking up at the sky. "Oh! Why don't you guys escort me home? I bet Cobalt would love to see the castle! I can even show him inside!" Auburn suggested. I gasped in excitement to her idea.

"Can we?! I've never seen a castle in person before!"

"Hmm…" Cream stood there thinking about it.

"Plllllleeeeeeaaaaasssseee?" Auburn and I begged.

"Well, alright. But we're only dropping her off! We need to take these bags home, and then I need to cook dinner!" Cream compromised.

"Aww I wanted to go inside…" I complained.

"And I really wanted to give you the grand tour…" Auburn joined in my complaining.

"You can go tomorrow then if you like! But for today, I think it'd be best if you stayed home. You gotta get acquainted with your new home after all!"

"Perfect! It'll be tons of fun Cobalt!" Auburn cheered.

"I'm looking forward to it!"

"Me too! But for now, I really need to get back home, so let's gooooo!" Auburn charged ahead. Cream and I went running after her, with me laughing along the way.

_It's definitely going to be fun with Auburn around!_

* * *

Gotta end it with Cobalt's thoughts like always! I've gotten used to it now lol. I tried mixing up the dialogue a bit, because I know I'm super repetitive. The last chapter was so bad in that part, so sorry!

Sooooo THE DRAMA STARTS! Sana is a total bitch to Cream! (I can curse! This is rated T!) But why?! imsuresomeofyouguyswillfigureitoutorsomething

Oh btw Sana comes from Gardevoir's Japanese name. Saanaito, or Sirknight. Why is it Sirknight? Gardevoir looks way too girly to be a sir lol

Thanks for reading and all that fun stuff. See you in (HOPEFULLY) two weeks!


	8. Chapter 8

Ugggghhhh I'm late again :/

But! This chapter is like, twice as long! So...worth? I think so :P And I'm only like...3 days late, it's all good! :D It was so much work typing though and the ideas just kept coming and suddenly this was almost 10k words. Yikes!

I also sortofnotreally did my first revision...(onthechaptersistillhadherebeforetheyexpiredkoff) I replaced nation with Kingdom and it's all capitalized (Fire nation is now Fire Kingdom, for example.) Kings don't run nations, they run kingdoms!

Oh, and I suck at describing things if you haven't noticed yet, so I feel like I did a bad job at creating an image for the castle. I tried! Just...ignore my bad descriptions and enjoy the chapter lol

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon!

* * *

"We're almost there!" The excited princess shouted, running ahead of Cream and I.

"Hey, Auburn! Slow down! Please don't run ahead! It's tough to keep up with all these bags!" Cream complained. Auburn seemed to ignore this, as she kept running ahead. Or she didn't hear Cream from all her giggling. I was sort of able to keep up with Auburn, probably because these bags don't slow me down too much because I'm a fighting-type.

"Haha, I can see it! Let's go, final dash!" Auburn laughed and ran faster. As I tried to catch up to her, a huge structure started to become visible from the horizon.

"Here we are!"

"Whooooooaaaa…" I stood still in amazement. In front of me was the castle of Homura City and the Fire Kingdom. An actual castle! It was a humongous structure made out of silver stones and concrete, with pointed towers at each end and one in the center, all with a red flag with a flame on it blowing in the wind. The top was covered in fiery red tiles, and right above the entrance was a beautiful, huge stained glass window with the same fire design as the flag. _That must be the kingdom's emblem. _I thought to myself.

The castle grounds were covered in beautiful gardens consisting of flowers, trees, bushes and shrubs. Right in the center of the castle grounds was a grand water fountain. The water shooting into the air glistened in the light of the orange, setting sun.

"It's so…grand and beautiful! It's like the castles from the picture books and fairy tales! Except it's real! It's a real castle! I can't believe you live here!" I continued to admire the amazing structure. Everything was just so cool!

"Well you better believe it, because I'm the princess!" Auburn puffed her chest up proudly.

"I-I t-told you kids t-t-to slow down!" Cream finally appeared, trying to catch her breath.

"Cream you're such a Slowpoke!" Auburn teased.

"You try catching up to kids while carrying a bunch of heavy bags!" Cream retorted back. _Ugh now I feel awful for making her buy all that stuff and running ahead…_

"I'm sorry Cream. I should have not run ahead like that. I should be holding more of those bags. I can carry a lot more heavy things; I'm a fighting-type after all!" I apologized.

"Aww I can handle these, don't you worry! You're such a sweet child!" Cream smiled, and then looked away, "Unlike a certain other child here." She remarked quietly and sassily.

"Hmph, you're such a show off Cobalt!" Auburn groaned.

"W-what?" I asked, confused.

"Ignored her dear, she's just jealous of your manners!" Cream winked and teased. Auburn's ears perked and her face blushed slightly.

"I-I am not! W-whatever, I'm going home!" Auburn said angrily and stomped her way through the castle gardens.

"Hehe, she's the exact image of her mother!" Cream laughed. I looked at her with concern. Should she really be teasing Auburn so much? Cream noticed my concern and stopped laughing. "Don't worry about her. She's not really angry!" She tried to reassure me and paused, "She's just…hot-headed I suppose. Anyway we should get going. Auburn, thanks for playing with Cobalt today! Have a good night!" She shouted and waved, causing Auburn to stop and turn around.

"Auburn! Thanks for today! I had tons of fun! I can't wait to hang out again tomorrow! Bye!" I shouted and waved as well. She was far away, but I think I saw a smile on her face.

"Haha! I had fun too! I'm so glad you decided to stay! I'll come get you tomorrow morning! G'night!" Auburn laughed and ran back to the castle entrance.

"See? I told you she wasn't mad!" Cream winked. I smiled back at her, relieved that Auburn wasn't really angry. "Come on; let's go home before my arms fall off from holding all these bags!" Cream joked and started walking ahead.

I paused to look back at the castle, still amazed at how grand it looks, then picked up pace to catch up to Cream. "I told you, I'll carry some of yours! I can handle it!"

"Well if you insist…here you go!" Cream happily accepted. I took a bag from each of her hands and easily kept up my pace.

"Wow, you are pretty strong! I guess I shouldn't underestimate fighting-types!" Cream said impressed and complimented.

"O-oh I just used to train a lot with my father back then…" I rub the back of my head in embarrassment which felt a bit awkward with so many bags in my hands.

"Do you like training? Are you into battling?"

"Hmm, I'm not necessarily into battles, but I do think training is fun in a way. I do want to become stronger though."

"I see. Fighting-types naturally always want to become stronger, but is there any reason why you want to become stronger?" Cream asked. The question made me slow down my pace to a stop, and I became lost in deep thought. I knew the answer, so I wonder why I had to think about it. Cream noticed I stopped and placed her shopping bags on the ground, looking at me with interest and concern.

I took a deep breath and told her my reason. "It's…because I've always wanted to be like my father. He was the strongest Pokémon in town and our leader. He was loved by everyone, and I wanted to grow up to be a leader like him." I sighed and looked away, "But now…everything and everyone is gone. I've been thinking why, and thought maybe it was because we weren't strong enough. Was Father not strong enough to protect the town?" I paused, somewhat hoping Cream would have an answer, but she remained silent. There's no way she would know. Nobody knows the answer.

"Of course, I'm sure Father and Mother were both strong enough. But there was just too many of them. I saw the sheer amount of them that attacked. We were so surrounded and I thought I was going to die. But Father and Mother…they were strong enough to protect me. They used everything they had to make sure I was safe and able to escape. They protected what they loved, and died trying. I want to become strong so I can protect who I love too!" I shouted proudly. "I've had a lot of time to think about these things, and this is the answer I've come up with. Should the time ever happen, I want to be able to protect you, Auburn, and everything and everyone I love!" I looked up at Cream and gave her the most confident expression I could give. She looked back, shocked and speechless.

"Cobalt…" Cream managed to murmur. It looked like her eyes were starting to water, so she closed her eyes, wiped a tear away and gave a warm smile. "Heh, are you really only 8 years old?" Cream chuckled. "That was such an incredibly mature and amazing thing to say! You have so much determination!"

"W-was it really? You're making me blush…"

"Yes it was! I know adults that are less mature than you! You are an incredible child, and I'm proud to call you my son!" Cream said happily as she patted my back. "Unfortunately, I'm not much of a fighter so I can't really help you fight. They do teach some basic battling techniques at the school, but I doubt it'll be any use for you. Oh dear, this means I have to buy you training equipment! You're gonna need a punching bag, some weights…" Cream continued to ramble in worry. _Oh no she's going to buy more stuff for me... _I mentally panicked.

"No, no! I don't need any of that! I can practice in the woods or something! Trees and boulders are all I need! Please, I don't need you to buy anything else! You've spend too much money already!"

Cream looked at me surprised, and then she put her arms on her hips and sighed. "You really are something! I've never seen such a mature child! Well, maybe Mint…but whatever! You're parents must've raised you with so much care and love. I gotta make sure I don't disappoint them!" Cream laughed.

"Well you have a high reputation to live up to! I had the best parents in the world!" I grinned.

"Haha challenge accepted!" Cream smirked and laughed before picking up her shopping bags. "We better get home then so I can start with dinner! I hope I can meet your expectations!" She winked and started walking again.

I blinked, a bit shocked at her response. But I then I gave a smile and followed her back to her hospital… and my new home!

When we got back, Cream led me to my room and placed all the bags on the floor.

"Whew! Finally back home! It's been quite the adventure today hasn't it? So much happened today!" Cream said while wiping her forehead as if she finally finished a project.

"Yeah! And it was super fun too!"

"I'm happy to hear that!" Cream smiled. Suddenly a growling noise came out of nowhere. I looked down in embarrassment to see that it was my stomach!

"O-oh umm…sorry!" I blushed.

"Haha well that's definitely a sign that we had an adventure today!" Cream laughed. "Why don't you go ahead and set up your room however you like while I go cook up something?" I nodded as Cream smiled and left me alone in my new room.

"Where do I even begin…?"

I decided to start with my bed. I grabbed the sheets and blanket out of bag and took them out of their plastic packaging. Never having to put bed sheets before, I stood still with the sheets in my hands trying to figure out how they stay on. It turns out it's actually extremely simple, and the sheets latch to the corners with elastic bands. After figuring that out I placed the blanket over the bed, put the pillows in the pillow case, and stood proudly at my new bed.

"Heh, I actually really do like the blue fire design. It reminds me of Mother and Father's aura! I wonder when I'll be able to use aura? Oh, but I don't have anyone to teach me how to use it anymore. Maybe I can find out how in a book? Or maybe I'll automatically learn how to use it when I evolve! I'm sure it'll come naturally. Who's ever heard of a Lucario that can't use aura?! I can't wait until I evolve! Lucario are so cool! But I need to train more before that'll hap—wait what am I doing? I need to decorate my room!" I realized I was standing in the middle of my empty room talking to myself, completely distracted from what I was supposed to be doing.

"Auburn must be rubbing off on me or something, hehe!" I chuckled as I go through the rest of the bags. I'm usually not distracted so easily, but after this and the grocery store I have to wonder…

I begin to sort through everything and place them nicely in my room.

"Hmm…there's no bookshelf in here, so I guess I'll just place these books on the dresser." I place the books down neatly and pick one up randomly, one with an Oshawott and Snivy on the front cover with some weird white fluffy thing in the behind them. "Hmm, 'Fates to Infinity?' It sounds interesting and has a really cool title." I decided to open it up and take a glance inside, "But as I go through it there's tons of text and words that I don't even know! Is this even a children's book? …Oh but this one looks really interesting!" I picked up another book, this one with a Glaceon and Jolteon on the front cover. "'T&amp;I?' I wonder what that stands for. Ah there are tons of words in this one too! Well, I'm sure they're both great books!

"I admit this toy sword is pretty cool! But what am I supposed to do with it? Maybe Auburn likes to role-play? I've never done that before but it does sound really fun! I wonder if a weapon really makes you a better fighter. The only time I've ever heard of someone using a weapon was in that story book with the green Pokémon in a cloak and the legendary sword powered by Zekrom. That was a good book! Did Cream buy that one for me?

"Oh, here's the matching rug and curtains that go with my bed sheets! Err…maybe Cream should set the curtains up for me.

"I've never played an instrument before, but Auburn said this toy xylophone is really fun, so I guess I could give it a shot sometime."

I continued to place everything nicely in the room, and that plain room before was starting to look like a kid's bedroom! It looked way cooler than the room I had back at home! I've never had so many toys or flashy sheets before!

"Heh, this is actually a pretty cool room! Oh but I feel so spoiled, making Cream buy all this…" I sighed and looked down, something red near the bags catching the corner of my eye.

"Hm? Did I forget something?" I approached the bags and sifted through them to see a Vulpix doll with a tiara, its eyes a blazing red color.

"Of course! The most important toy! How could I forget?" I bend down to pick up my Auburn doll and gently place it on my bed. "I-is it weird to sleep with this? M-maybe I'll just place it on top of the dresser…" I blush slightly and hastily grab the doll and put somewhere more suitable for it.

After I finished admiring my newly decorated room, I decided to take another stroll around the rest of the house. I walk through my door and am greeted by…a much more plain looking home.

_Err…after seeing all that neat stuff in my room…this is a lot duller in comparison… _I thought to myself. Since I'm no longer alone I figured I should keep my thoughts to myself. _Oh no, I really am starting to sound spoiled! I-it's still lovely and very homey in here!_

"Ah Cobalt! Finished decorating already?" Cream called from the kitchen. I responded back with a nod. "Oh, well I'm not done yet, so you can go ahead and play in your room, or get more acquainted with the home!" I thanked her and decided take a look around again, checking out the bookshelf and long table.

_These books all look so complicated. Wow this one is especially huge! "Healing Pulse: How to Master the Miraculous Power of Healing…" I bet Cream has everything in here memorized! That reminds me! Mother knew how to use Healing Pulse! She said Lucario can learn all "pulse" moves, including Water Pulse and Dark Pulse! It'd be great if I could heal like Cream could, maybe I could help her out with the hospital when I'm older…_

_This picture of Cream and Ms. Arylide is just too cute! Auburn really is the spitting image of her mother! They even both have those blazing red eyes. And then this picture…_ I stopped in front of the picture of Cream standing happily with a Pignite and Gardevoir in front of the hospital. _What…this Gardevoir…could it be…?! But then who is this Pignite? I feel like I might've found something very interesting, but I can't ask about it. Cream seemed very uneasy when I asked the first time and Auburn did say it was "touchy territory," though she didn't know the details. _I lean in and take a closer look at the picture. _There's no doubt about it, this has to b—_

"Cobalt, dinner's ready!" Cream called out from across the room, also known as the kitchen, breaking my train of thought.

"Coming!" I called back and headed across the room, but not without looking back at the picture.

I took a seat at the small dining table as Cream placed a plate of food in front of me. It was filled with an assortment of everything from all the food groups and looked very nutritious. Most of it looked delicious, but…

"Err…v-veggies?"

"Of course! You need to eat a balanced meal and that includes your vegetables! I expect that plate to be completely clean before you leave the table!" Cream giggled, though this isn't really a laughing matter…

"R-r-right…"

As we went on with dinner, Cream and I took the chance to learn more about each other, though we knew the basics like age (Cream and Ms. Arylide are both in their early 30s) and hobbies and stuff since she was nursing me to health the past two weeks. Cream told me more about her childhood, like how it was like being the princess's best friend. I learned that has never been much of a battler, but she knows how to protect herself. Because she's an Audino, she told me she naturally excelled at healing and dreamed of being the best doctor in the world.

"I have another question, though it's sort of personal…" I asked shyly as I try to bite into the greens, chewing it with a disgusted face.

"Sure, but only if you finish eating that!" Cream grinned. I could feel the sweat starting to drip as I try my hardest to finish eating the veggies. It took all I had to swallow it without spitting it out, and I hastily grabbed for the glass of water to wash out the bitterness.

"Haha I'm a bit surprised that you dislike vegetables so much!"

"At least you're having fun with it… anyway I wanted to ask why you were so keen in adopting me? You weren't exactly very subtle."

"O-oh umm…" Cream stuttered. Suddenly I realized I was being a bit too blunt and apologized.

"N-no, you're right, I was being pretty forward. Well the truth is I've always wanted to be a mother. However, because I'm only in the Fairy egg group, there aren't very many Pokémon in the Fire Kingdom I can have kids with, but that wasn't going to stop us! Thank goodness for adoption!'"

"Us?" I asked. Cream's eyes widen and she let out gasp. I could only respond by tilting my head in further confusion.

"N-n-no! I said 'me,' not 'us!' Ahahaha…a-a-anyway it looks like your plate is mostly clean! Y-you can skip the vegetables for today!" Cream hastily got up and took my plate away from my. "Why don't you run along and play in your room while I do the dishes?" I did what she told me to and headed to my room, but I couldn't help and feel bad that I might've said something I shouldn't have.

The rest of the night went by pretty quickly. After she finished cleaning, Cream went into my room to set up the curtains. Then told me she had some work she had to do downstairs, leaving me all by myself. Today was a pretty tiring day, so I decided to just relax on my new bed and have a good read, picking up "Fates to Infinity."

"Once you get past all the confusing words, this book turns out to be a real page turner! But this Oshawott is so stupid! And why is she always wet!?" I complained out loud to myself. Several hours have passed, and the sky was deep black sea filled with shining white stars.

"_Yaaawn! _When did it get so dark outside…?" I rubbed one of my eyes, trying to fight against the drowsiness. Suddenly a knock came from my door.

"Cobalt, are you still awake?" I could hear Cream's voice from the other side of the door.

"Y-yeaah…" I answered slowly.

The door opened and Cream entered. "Goodness you sound exhausted! I meant to come up earlier and tuck you in, but I had more work to do than I expected."

"N-no problem, I've been keeping myself busy with this book. It's really…_yaaawwnn…_good…"

"Hehe, well that's good to hear, but looks like it's definitely bed time!" Cream chuckled and took the book from me.

"A-alright…" I yawned again. Cream grabbed my fiery blue blanket and tucked me in nice and comfortably.

"Good night dear!" Cream said, back at my door with her hand on the light switch.

"Good night Cream…" I replied quietly, my eyelids growing heavy. As soon as the light turned off, eyes shut completely and I was instantly asleep, but not before hearing Cream giggle happily.

The next day, I was woken up by the shining sun rays seeping through my curtains. Not wanting to get up yet, I pulled my blanket over my head.

"N-not yet…five more minu—wait, its morning!" I tossed my blanket to the side, pulled the curtains apart, and opened my window. My room was in the back of the building, so I was greeted by Cream's backyard, which didn't have much. It was basically just a plot of flat grass surrounded by a fence. Behind the fence was covered in trees, so I assumed it was part of the forest that Auburn found me in. I took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh morning air.

"Ah, today's a beautiful day! And I get to go to the castle! I'm so excited!" I closed the window and picked up my blanket that tossed on the ground out of excitement. After making my bed, I exited my room.

I looked around living room with no Audino in sight. _Hm? Is she still asleep? _I stepped into the kitchen and found a plate of food on the dining table with a note.

"What's this?" I read the note and learned that Cream was already awake and working downstairs. It also said that Auburn and Ms. Arylide would come pick me up in a couple of hours.

"Cream sure does work a lot. It must be because she works alone." I commented out loud, biting into a slice of toast with pecha berry jam. "Should I go see her? I wonder if I could help her, but what can a kid do to help a doctor? I'd probably just get in the way." I contemplated if I should go say hi, but then again I don't even know which room she would be in. "Well I need to learn the layout of downstairs if I'm going to be living here, so I guess I'll go. I need to thank her for breakfast too!" I cleaned my plate off, washed it and put it away, and then made my way to the lower floor.

"Hmm…well there are only a couple of doors, and I know the one right here is the ER so I don't think she'd be in there, and that one is the one I was staying in, so she's probably not in th—"

"Cobalt?" The door closest to the stairs opened and Cream poked her head out. She probably heard me talking to myself since she has amazing hearing powers. That or I was just being too loud and distracting her from work.

"O-oh, perfect! Now I don't have to randomly pick one of the doors! Hehehe…" I chuckled sheepishly.

"Well this one right here is my main office where I do most of my work. Did you need something?"

"N-no, I just wanted to greet you and thank you for breakfast…" I replied quietly, shifting my feet around nervously. "I hope I'm not disturbing you…"

"Aw, of course not! Good morning and you're welcome! Did you enjoy the food?"

"Yes, it was good! I even washed my plate and put it away." I said proudly.

"Haha, you're such a good boy!" Cream complimented me, causing me to blush lightly. "Well I need to get back to work now, so come find me if you need anything. Oh, and Auburn should be here in about an hour or so to pick you up."

"Alright thanks. I'll just go back to my book then. I'll see you later!" I waved and headed back upstairs.

I grabbed the book I was reading last night and decided to read in the living room this time. The adventures of these two girls, a Snivy and Oshawott, are really interesting, but the Oshawott makes me so annoyed for some reason…and yet I can't help but admire their friendship. The adventures they have and the friends they make…it's just so exciting!

"It must be nice to go on adventures with friends…"

"Boo!"

"AAH!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, throwing the book up in the air and falling off the couch.

"Ahahaha! Oh man what a reaction! I did not expect that! Hahaha!" I looked up to see a Vulpix laughing like crazy on the ground.

"A-Auburn! What the heck?! What was that for?! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Haha, s-sorry! Haha I-I tried calling for you but you didn't respond. So I..haha..I went upstairs to see you…haha…reading! You were so into it, I couldn't resist! Hahaha!" Auburn answered, wiping tears from her eyes.

I glared at the laughing princess with cold eyes. "You don't sound sorry!"

"Haha..n-no I really am! Haha…hah okay…I think I'm done…hah. I really am sorry!" Auburn tried to convince me, but she was still snickering.

"Ugh, fine I'll forgive you I guess." I grumbled.

"Okay good! I don't want you to be angry at me at the castle!" I almost forgot about that! Her reminder instantly lifted my mood! "That was a quick change in mood. You that excited?"

"Of course I am! It's not every day a kid goes to a castle!"

"It is for me…"

"Well you're the princess, you don't count! C'mon let's go!" I grab Auburn by the paw and start dragging her downstairs.

"Whoa now, isn't it usually the other way around? You don't have to be so rough!" Auburn complained as I continued to drag her down the stairs. I let go of her in response.

"Well now you know how it feels!" I teased.

"W-whatever! Moooooom! Let's goooooo!" Auburn yelled when we reached the bottom.

"I'm right here! You don't have to yell!" Ms. Arylide yelled back. She was literally right next to us, standing outside of Cream's office.

"Oh. Let's go!" Auburn cheered as she skipped to front door of the hospital and exited out.

Ms. Arylide sighed with her head down. "This girl has way too much energy…"

"Just like her mother!" Cream added and chuckled. I chuckled with her nervously.

"Oh hush!" Ms. Arylide nudged Cream playfully, showing a display of their close friendship. "Good morning Cobalt! Are you getting used to things yet?"

"Good morning! And yes I am! I'm really glad I decided to stay!" I smiled, with Ms. Arylide smiling back.

"I'm happy with your decision as well! Shall we get going?"

"Yes! I can't wait to see the castle!" I exclaimed. Ms. Arylide and Cream both giggled in response to my excitement.

"Haha, well then let's go! Thanks for finishing the paperwork Cream; everything should be good to go! I'll see you later!" Ms. Arylide waved and started heading out, me following behind.

"Bye Cream! I'll be back later!"

"Have fun today Cobalt! You're gonna have more exciting days coming up!"

"Hm? What does she mean?" I asked Ms. Arylide.

"Hehe, you'll find out soon!" Ms. Arylide winked.

We met up with Auburn, who was waiting impatiently outside, and made our way to the castle. Honestly, I was a bit surprised that they didn't have bodyguards or anything. Is it really okay for the queen and princess to be walking outside so freely? I decided to voice out my thoughts and was answered with a giggle from the queen.

"Hehe, I suppose I could see where you're coming from, but honestly I feel completely safe in Homura City! Even the 'bad' side of town isn't so bad. There are almost never any crimes here. Just a few petty thieves and small things like that. However, there is that thief that's been running around throughout the city…

"A thief?" I asked.

"Yes, nobody knows what kind of Pokémon it is or if it's even male or female. It's so quick, the cops can't catch it! It's been stealing for over a year already! All we know is that it's small and it's black, whether it's wearing a cloak or it's the color of its fur or skin, nobody knows!"

"Wow, it must be a master thief or something!"

"Apparently so! Oh, but it only steals food and it's never from the same place or in huge quantities. Usually it just steals some fruit or snacks, never anything too big. It's mostly just an annoyance rather than a financial loss for the show owners."

"Maybe it's a wild Pokémon trying to survive. Finding food in the wild is tough. I would know…" I sighed.

"Aww, cheer up Cobalt! That's not the case anymore!" Auburn patted me on the back, trying to cheer me up. Auburn is always reliable when it comes to lifting my mood!

The rest of the trip to the castle went rather smoothly. Apparently, the queen and princess already dealt with the majority of their over-happily citizens, so almost nobody came up to bother us. It was mostly other Pokémon stopping for a second to greet their queen and continuing their on their way. After about fifteen minutes of walking, I could see that huge, grand, silver structure with red flags blowing in the wind on the roof.

My eyes gleaming, I admired the grand castle even more than I did the day before! "Woooow! This never ceases to amaze me!"

"Meh, you'll get used to it eventually." Auburn shrugged.

"Shall we?" Ms. Arylide took the first step into the castle grounds, following the brick path through the middle of the gardens and to the castle, with Auburn and I following close behind.

"Welcome back, Your Majesty, Your Highness!" One of the gardeners, a Roserade, called out from one of the flower gardens afar. The royal duo responded back with a gentle wave.

"The flowers here are so pretty! That Roserade does an excellent job taking care of these!" I commented, admiring the beautiful array of colors.

"She's the lead gardener for a reason!" Ms. Arylide said proudly.

We continued on our way, and every time we passed someone they politely bowed and greeted the queen and princess. Some of them would notice me too and smile gently. When we reached the giant fountain, symbolizing the center of the gardens, we took a quick stop to so I could admire the sights.

"This fountain is so cool! And the water sounds so relaxing! I could sit here and relax with a good book all day!" I commented as I walked a lap around the entire fountain, admiring the beauty of my surroundings.

Ms. Arylide nodded in agreement with me. "Indeed, that is one of my favorite pastimes!"

"The fountain makes a great napping spot too!" Auburn added, getting a chuckle from me and her mother.

After a couple of minutes, we left the fountain and made it to the castle entrance, which was guarded by two Infernapes. The entrance to the castle had to be the biggest doors I've ever seen in my life!

"Ah welcome back Your Highness and Your Majesty!" They bowed.

"Is this the Riolu Your Highness rescued?" One of them asked.

"Yup! This is Cobalt, and he's here to get the grand tour!" Auburn jump excitedly.

The guards both chuckled at Auburn's enthusiasm. "Heh, well that's good! Have fun!"

"Thanks! Let's go in Cobalt!" Auburn ran ahead, opening the door herself rather than letting the guards do it. The guards turned around and one of them held his arm out, trying to stop Auburn.

"Ah! But please don't run in the castle Your…Highness…" He sighed.

"There she goes again…" Ms. Arylide sighed with him. "She never learns! No point in trying to stop her anymore." She shrugged and walked in. I chuckled nervously and followed the queen into the castle.

"Whoa…" I stood in awe. The inside was huge! It was so spacious and there were tons of hallways leading to who knows where! The inside was decorated with pillars, stained glass, and red carpets. Several Pokémon in maid and butler uniforms were scrambling about the lobby, passing through the lobby and into the other hallways.

Auburn stood proudly in the center of the spacious room and spread her arms (or would it be her front arms?) out widely as if she was presenting something. "Ta-da! Welcome to the Fire Kingdom Castle!"

"Ooh!" I clapped, deciding to play along with her.

"Hehe, no applause needed!"

"Riiight…" Ms. Arylide said unamusingly. "Anyway, let's go to the throne room first. I'll introduce you to the king!"

"T-t-the k-king?" I gulped. I don't know why but I started to feel really nervous and a bit nauseous all of the sudden.

"Is something wrong?"

"N-no, it's just…I don't know why, but the idea of meeting the king scares me…I mean he's the KING!"

"Why are you scared? You've already met the queen and princess! Don't worry! Dad is super nice! Let's go, let's go!" Auburn got behind me and started pushing me towards the stairs at the back of the room.

"H-h-hey! That's because I didn't know you guys were royalty!" I retorted as I resisted Auburn's pushing without much success.

"You'll be fine dear!" Ms. Arylide put a paw on my head. "You've met Arc already! Cain is just as nice as his younger brother! The two of them are practically twins!" She reassured, then mumbled something quietly. "He's almost as loud as him too…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" The queen giggled.

"A-alright then…I'll go, so you can stop pushing me Auburn!"

"Yay!" Auburn finally stopped when we got to the stairs. "Race you to the top!"

Before I could say anything she was already long gone, making her way up the stair case. "W-what? No! I'm not going to run in the castle!" I yelled as I started walk up the stairs, with Ms. Arylide not too far behind. There were two stair cases, both leading to the large door guarded by more Infernapes.

"Your Highness, how many times do we have to tell you not to run in the castle?" I heard one of them say as I get closer to the top. I giggle to myself at how often Auburn gets scolded.

"But I'm just too excited today!"

"That's no excuse to be breaking the rules!"

"It's fine, I'll let it slide just for today." Ms. Arylide said calmly as we finally make it to the top.

"Queen Arylide!" The guards gasped quietly as they got back in their standing position. "Welcome back!" They said at the same time, opening the gigantic doors to the throne room. The queen thanked them and elegantly walked her way in. I nervously stood in front of the opened doors as I catch a glimpse of what it looks like inside.

Suddenly I feel a paw grab hold of mine. I look to see Auburn smiling warmly at me. "C'mon, I'll walk with you!" I feel my anxiousness fade away from the warmth of her paw, and I smile back and nod.

We headed in slowly, me letting go of her paw so she can walk properly. I take in my surroundings and keep my comments of amazement in my mind as I walk by Auburn's side. The throne hall looked a lot like the main lobby entrance, except it looked even more regal in here! There were red flags with the kingdom's emblem, the same as the flags on top of the castle. Paintings decorated the walls, each of different fire-type Pokémon wearing crowns and tiaras, probably the past royal families. I took a glance straight ahead and could see two regal seats up ahead. In one of them was Ms. Arylide, except now she was wearing a crown. Beside her was a very majestic looking Arcanine. He looked exactly like Mr. Arc, but there was something different about him, besides the crown. As we got closer to them I could feel my legs slowing down.

"Welcome!" The Arcanine greeted in a powerful voice.

"Hi Dad!" Auburn greeted back.

"Y-y-your Majesty…" I stuttered quietly and bowed politely, my whole body shaking nervously.

"Haha, you were right Arylide! This kid is super polite! The exact opposite of Auburn!" The king laughed.

"Hey!" Auburn said offended. I nervously smiled at the usual praising I get which has commonly ended up with Auburn getting made fun of.

"I'm just kidding sweetie! Anyway, it's so nice to meet the child my little princess rescued so valiantly!" He said proudly. I noticed Auburn grow a cheeky grin on her face from that comment.

"I-i-i-it's a pleasure to m-m-meet you t-too, Y-your M-ajesty…"

"Hey now, you don't have to be so scared! I'm not so intimidating! If anything my little bro is more intimidating! Intimidate isn't even my ability! Haha!" The king joked and laughed loudly. I nervously chuckled along with him.

"Dear, you're scaring him. Do try to be a bit quieter?" Ms. Arylide said to her husband quietly.

"Oh, am I? I'm sorry!"

"N-no, it's not your fault Your Majesty. I-I'm just a bit nervous I guess…"

"Well you have nothing to be nervous about! And drop the 'Your Majesty' stuff; I've never been a fan of it, especially from someone so young like you! Mr. Cain works just fine! I expect a bit of respect after all, haha!" He laughed loudly. Ms. Arylide gave of a sigh of defeat, seeing as how he's still being really loud. It must be a thing in his family.

"A-alright then Mr. Cain!" I nodded happily. I seemed to have calmed down after that as I could feel the shivering leaving. The royal couple both smiled at me getting more comfortable in their presence.

"Okay then! You've met Dad now, so let's continue the tour!" Auburn cheered and headed out of the room.

"Have fun kids! And don't run in the castle Auburn!" The king shouted.

"We'll call for you when it's lunchtime!" The queen called back. I smiled and thanked them both while bowing then turned around to catch up to the princess.

After going through gigantic doors again, I found Auburn waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. I finally catch up to her and ask where we were going next. She sat there with her eyes closed, taking her time to think where she should show me next.

"I don't know actually! Hehe!" She giggled, sticking her tongue out cutely with one of her eyes closed. "Pick a hall and we'll go from there I guess!"

"Um, alright…that way?" I answered back slightly confused, pointing at the closest hall to us.

"Sure! C'mon!" Auburn walked ahead and led me to the hall, with me being slightly surprised that she's not rushing ahead.

We went through the hallway, which is beautifully decorated like the main entrance and throne room, and every time we passed a door, Auburn would quickly show me what was inside. Most of them were empty guest rooms with some furniture and such, others were rooms for the Pokémon that work in the castle, and the rest had more Pokémon working in them. I felt bad for intruding and bothering them, but they all greeted us with kindness. Whenever we got to a bigger room, we spent more time inside it so I could get a better look at everything. Auburn would also give a short explanation and her personal comments.

"This is the library. Most of these books are history texts and such, and they're all super old, dusty and boring!

"Here's the ballroom. It's super spacious and tons of fun to just run around in when nothing is going on!

"This is the kitchen! Look at all the cooks we have! Doesn't it smell delicious in here? I can't wait for lunch!

"This is…uhh I don't know what this room is really. It's got some valuable pieces of art and stuff! I'm not really even allowed in here, hehe!

"Here's the training and battling ground! This is where we…well train and battle! The guards and our fighters and stuff train here!" Auburn showed me a spacious field outside in the back with several battle fields and some benches for watching.

"Oh, you train here? You can fight?" I asked, sort of surprised.

"Of course I can! Sort of… M-my Quick Attack is super fast! And my Ember is…really hot?" She tried backing up her claims unsuccessfully. I give her an unimpressed expression. "D-don't look at me like that! I'm still learning how to fight! And my Quick Attack really is fast! I bet it's even faster than yours!"

"Is that a challenge? Well I accept!" I said with determination and excitement. _Though I think Vulpix are naturally faster, with my training there's no way I can lose! _I confidently thought to myself.

"Heh, you'll regret this! I have you know I'm actually the fastest in class! First one to that tree all the way in the back wins! You ready?" I nodded with confidence, but received a cocky smirk from Auburn.

"Ready? Set…GO!"

…

…

…

_I…lost?_

I made it to the goal easily, but…she beat me?! I was right behind her the entire time, but she was just barely ahead of me! We both lied on the ground under the shade of the tree, panting and trying to catch out breaths.

"H-how did you beat me?!" I panted.

"H-h-heh! I-I told you! I-I'm really fast! The fastest in class! It's from all the playing I do in the forest and running ahead! A-at least that's what Mom says." Auburn laughed proudly.

I got up from the ground and held out my hand to help Auburn up. "Well, I'm very impressed! I knew Vulpix were naturally faster than Riolus, but I thought I could overcome that with my training. You win this time!" I admitted defeat. Auburn looked at my hand, slightly surprised, and then took it with a smile.

"Thanks! And you'll never out speed me! Now if this was a battle I'm sure I'd lose in less than 5 seconds!"

"Well if you ever need some battling tips, you can count on me! I am a fighting-type after all!"

"Hehe, I'll keep that in mind! I'd much rather learn how to fight from you than the teachers here and at school!" Auburn laughed. I couldn't help but laugh with her, enjoying my time here with her.

"Ah, there you are princess!" A voice came from behind us. I turned around to see an old Torkoal approaching us, white smoke exhausting out of his old and beat up shell. "Your Majesty wanted to let you know that it is now time for lunch and to meet her at hall!"

"Oh sweet, lunchtime! Let's go Cobalt!" Auburn, fully recovered from our Quick Attack race, used Quick Attack again and dashed through the training grounds.

"Auburn, wait for me!" I called out for her and used my own Quick Attack to catch up, but not before bowing and thanking the Torkoal. He gave a soft laugh, more white smoke seeping from his shell, and said something about youth and how great it was.

I made it back inside the castle and found Auburn at the door, waiting impatiently. After she complained at me for being too slow, she led the way to the dining hall, explaining that she intentionally didn't show me it yet because we'd be going there for lunch anyway. Since we were in the back of the castle we had to go through what seemed like a maze of hallways to get back near the front where the dining hall was apparently located. _Thank goodness Auburn is here with me, or else I'd get lost in a heartbeat!_

It consisted of a very long table with dozens of seats on each side. The walls were decorated with the same red flags throughout the castle, and had both stained glass windows and clear windows for viewing outside. At the end of the table was a beautiful and large chair, with a majestic Arcanine occupying it. Beside him we're two other majestic looking seats on each side, both facing each other. One of them had an elegant Ninetales sitting, and the other seat across from it was vacant.

"Hello kids! I hope you didn't cause everyone too much trouble!" Mr. Cain greeted happily, and slightly loudly.

"Nope, of course not!" Auburn replied just as happily and cheerfully as her father as she took the other seat across from her mother and next to her father. Auburn gestured me to take the seat next to her, which was still a well-crafted looking chair, though much more ordinary looking than the royals' chairs.

Ms. Arylide seemed to not believe as she gave an unconvinced stare at her daughter. "Really now? Cobalt, was she good? Did she run in the halls?"

"Actually she really didn't run in the halls surprisingly. Though when we went outside in the training grounds it was a different story…" I explained a bit nervously, with my hand behind my head.

"Oh? Well that IS surprising!" Ms. Arylide said mockingly.

"Mom, you're so mean!" Auburn pouted, getting a laugh from her parents.

Shortly afterwards, several Pokémon in maid and butler uniforms came out holding our lunch. When they served the food and drinks, I could only look down at the beautifully works of art in front of me.

"W-w-wow! I've never seen food presented so…beautifully before! Everything looks so fancy and smells amazing! Do you eat like this every day?!" Everything on the plate looked so good, even the veggies!

"Haha, well we do eat pretty fancy food, but I'll admit I asked the cooks to make something a little extra special today!" Mr. Cain winked. "Go ahead, dig in!"

I obeyed the king's word and took my first bite. It had to be one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten in my life! Everything was cooked to perfection and melted in my mouth! I wanted to just chow down and gulp everything up, but I remembered my manners this time and ate it politely and properly. I wish I could say the same about Auburn, however, who was gulping down everything! I looked to see the king was eating similarly, but the queen had much more manners than the rest of her family. Though from her expression I could tell she was a bit annoyed at her rude family. She tried to scold them, but they just said they couldn't help it since the food was so delicious, which resulted in laughter from everyone, even Ms. Arylide. I laughed along with them, but my laughter became less energetic as I started to feel a bit nostalgic, remembering that something like this would happen quite often back home. Plum would come over for dinner and Mother would cook something delicious. Father and Plum would gulp down everything and Mother would scold them and everyone would just laugh and have a good time. Suddenly, I stopped eating, looked down and stared at my plate with tears, suddenly but slowly, falling down my face.

"Cobalt, are you crying? Is something wrong?! Is the food bad?! Don't cry Cobalt, I hate veggies too!" Auburn noticed my change in mood. Ms. Arylide and Mr. Cain also took note of me and asked if I was okay and if there was something bad in the food.

"N-no…_sniff_ the food is amazingly d-delicious…I…I was j-just remembering e-eating back at home…_sniff _Plum w-would often come over for dinner, and Mother would always scold her and Father for e-eating without m-manners and we'd a-all laugh it off…_sniff_…I-I'm sorry, I d-didn't mean to s-s-start c-crying…_sniff_"

"Cobalt…" Ms. Arylide said slowly and sadly. Mr. Cain looked down sadly, and now I felt bad for ruining a fun lunch.

"I-I'm s-sorry _sniff_, we we're all laughing just a second ago…I d-didn't mean to—" I was cut off by something incredibly warm and comforting hugging me tightly. I looked to see Auburn embracing me, her face also wet from tears.

"I'm sorry Cobalt…I know it hurts badly, but things will get better! I promise! I know I can't replace Plum…but I hope we can make tons of fun new memories!" Auburn hugged tighter. Her parents also got up and joined the hug.

"I know it's sad, but you have lots of new Pokémon that love you in your life! You can count on all of us, including Cream—no especially Cream, to be there for you! So don't be sorry, okay dear?" Ms. Arylide reassured.

"That's right! If it's ever too painful, go ahead and let it out! Crying is good for you! And come to any of us, we'll help you through any pain together!" Mr. Cain winked at me with a grin, trying to look cool despite the tears building in his eyes.

I couldn't help but cry even more after hearing everyone's supporting words. I'm so glad to be here with such loving Pokémon… "T-thank you…"

After I calmed down, we continued on with lunch. I had some small chat with the king and queen, and learned more about them and about their kingdom. The royal couple also asked some things about me, the same things Auburn and Cream asked while I was hospitalized, mostly things about home. I had fun eating a delicious lunch and being with good company.

"So umm...I have a question for you Ms. Arylide…"

"Sure thing, ask away!"

"Umm, do you know anything about Ms. Sana and Cream…?" I asked quietly, slightly scared that I may be asking something really bad.

"Oh! Yeah I wanna know too! Mint's mom was so mean to Cream yesterday when we ran into them!" Auburn added.

Ms. Arylide placed her silverware down and closed her eyes, thinking of what to say. I started to feel the sweat roll down my head from my nervousness. Finally she opened her eyes and spoke.

"Well…I don't think I'm in the position to tell you. What happened between them is very personal and it's not right for me to tell you. I'm sure Cream will tell you when the time is right." She responded calmly.

"Aw, boring!" Auburn whined.

"I see…I was sort of expecting you would say that. Can you at least tell me this? I noticed Cream has a picture of her with a Gardevoir and Pignite standing happily in front of the hospital. Is that Gardevoir...Ms. Sana?" Ms. Arylide's ears seemed to perk at my other question.

"…Yes. But that's all I'm saying! Don't even both asking who the Pignite is!" She said with some aggression in her voice to let me know not to pry her for anymore answers.

"Ooh! Cobalt you found something veeeerrryy interesting! Well if Mom's not gonna say anything then maybe Mint will!"

"Auburn I don't think we should bother anyone about it anymore. We should mind our own business."

"Cobalt is absolutely right!" Mr. Cain agreed with me. "Sweetie, I don't want you trying to dig up on Cream's past without her permission! She'll tell you one day!" He scolded.

"Fiiiinnnneee…."

We spent the rest of lunch talking about more small things. When we all finished, Mr. Cain called for one of the servants to take our dishes. I asked Auburn what was next on the agenda, and she said she was saving the best for last. After thanking her parents for lunch, she led me up several flights of stairs to one of the higher floors and then to a hall that I remembered that we passed by last time. At the end of it was a fancy looking door with pretty, fire-themed decorations.

"What's this?"

"It's…" she stopped to open the door, "My room!"

I took a glance inside and couldn't believe my eyes. "This…is your room?!" I exclaimed, not believing what's in front of me. It was way too big to be a bedroom! It was bigger than Cream's living room and kitchen combined! The room had a fiery red theme with some and pink to give it a girly look. There were toys everywhere with fancy furniture placed in a fashionable manner. She even had a mini toy playground with a slide and basketball hoop! The bed was huge and very elegant looking; it had a pink lacy curtain around it making it look extra fancy and royal! The bed was covered in a pretty fiery red and pink sheet with dolls littered all over it. "This looks more like a playroom!"

"It pretty much is a playroom! I have tons of fun playing in here! Or, at least I used to. It gets lonely and boring playing by yourself. I rarely have friends over anymore. Mint can almost never come here and Tangelo hasn't visited in forever. I find it more fun to play in the forest when you're alone!" She tried to play it cool, but I could tell she was really sad that she has almost no one to play with all these toys with.

"If you want, I'd love to play with you!"

"Really?!" She replied excitedly, but then she stopped and cleared her throat realizing she was sounding desperate. "Ahem, you will? I'd love that!"

"Of course I will! I'll play with you anytime you want!" Her blazing red eyes seemed to gleam at my response.

"Haha, you're the best Cobalt! Let's play all day long!" Auburn jumped and cheered happily. I couldn't help but be happy when she's so excited like that.

We spent the rest of the day doing exactly what she wanted: playing and having fun with all her toys. We played with everything. We ran around the playground playing tag, played some basketball, had a pretend tea party with all her dolls, relaxed on the floor with some picture books, drew each other with her paint and crayon sets, role-played as monsters and heroes, practiced our music abilities with her toy instruments, and almost anything you can imagine! The hours seemed to just fly by, the room filled with laughter and fun.

"Cobalt, you're off beat! Keep up with my drums!"

"I told you, I've never played an instrument before! And how am I supposed to stay with your beat if your beat is always changing?!"

"Just improvise silly!" She laughed.

"That doesn't make sense!" I complained, but laughed with her for being the silly one. The mixture of our laughing and loud music caused neither of us to hear the door open.

"Aren't you guys just having the times of your lives?" We both turned around to see who was intruding our fun. It was Cream! And Ms. Arylide was with her.

"Oh hi Cream! Yes, I'm having tons of fun playing with Auburn! What are you doing here?"

"I'm happy to hear that you're having tons of fun, but it's getting late. I'm here to pick you up."

"Aww already?!" Auburn pouted.

"Is it really that late?" I asked.

"Yes, look the sun is already starting to set!" Cream pointed to one of the windows in Auburn's room. The sky was now a bright orange, even though it was a clear blue just a minute ago!

"Oh you're right! I guess time flies when you're having fun! Hehe…" I laughed sheepishly.

"Can't he stay longer? We're so close to finishing our song!" Auburn begged.

"…We are? We have a song?"

"Cobalt you're not helping!" Auburn's silliness caused the adults to laugh, and soon Auburn and I were laughing with them.

"Auburn," Ms. Arylide said firmly after laughing, "Cobalt needs to leave now. It's a school night! You don't want Cobalt to be tired on his first day of school do you?"

"Oh, alright…" She complained, accepting defeat, "I guess you're rig—wait what?!" Auburn shouted.

"I'm going to school tomorrow?!" I shouted excitedly with Auburn. "Oh! Is that what you meant when you said I was going to have more exciting days coming?"

"That's right! Cream and I finished all the paperwork and you'll be joining Auburn's 3rd grade class tomorrow at Homura Elementary School! We got your school supplies and everything ready!" Auburn and I slowly grew wide smiles on our face, and we were soon both jumping up and down in excitement!

"Yeesssss! This is gonna be so much fun Cobalt!"

"Oh man I can't wait to start going to school again!" I agreed happily, but then I had a sudden realization that caused my excitement to drop instantly.

"Wait, I'm going to school! Like, a real school! With other kids and teachers and everything! I-I-I'm s-s-super n-n-ner-v-vous all of the s-s-sudden! What if there's bullies?! O-or what if they don't like me!?"

"You'll be fine! You'll have Auburn and Mint and even Tangelo in your class! I'm sure everyone will treat you just fine!" Cream said trying to cheer me up.

"Don't worry Cobalt. Everyone will love you! They all want to know about the mysterious Riolu that I, the princess, rescued!" Auburn puffed up her chest proudly. Her silliness slowly calmed my nerves, and as long as I have her, I'm sure I'll be fine.

"Hehe you're right, thanks Auburn." I smiled.

I helped Auburn put away all her toys and returned her bedroom to the clean state it was before. Afterwards, Auburn and Ms. Arylide escorted Cream and I back to the castle entrance and soon we were standing outside in the front of the castle gardens.

"Thank you for everything today." I bowed politely to the queen and princess. "I had tons of fun, and the food was amazing! Auburn, I'll definitely beat you in a race next time!"

"Hehe, we'll see about that! I'll see you tomorrow morning! We can walk to school together!" She waved, and she and her mother turned around back to the castle.

"Bye!" I waved back and went on my way back home with Cream.

_Tomorrow…I finally start school again! I'm so excited, and yet so nervous!_

* * *

Finally! Finished the chapter! 10k is a lot of words for me...

Anyway, Cobalt's going to school! We learn more about Cobalt's dreams and Cream's mysterious past! JUST WHAT IS GOING ON?!

And we meet the king, Arc's older brother Cain! ARC-CAIN-ine...god I suck at names lol. Literally every time I wanted to type Mr. Cain I ended up putting Mr. Arc, THEY'RE PRACTICALLY TWINS!

I'm excited to finally start Cobalt's school days! GET HYPED!


	9. Chapter 9

I'm late. Like super late. I know, I know, I'm sorry! But I went on vacation...and then I got lazy...and now I'm back at school (likecobaltlol) and blah blah more excuses... The important things is that I'm finally done with chapter 9! Yay!

Also I want to give a shout out and say happy birthday to one of my buddies on this site. I don't know if they wants their birthday publicly known, so I'll leave out their name and just say Happy Birthday! I hope you're actually reading this today (8/25) eventhoughyoureprobablynotgonnaseethisforawhilelol

Anyway! To the story! Sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes, but I'm tired and just want to go to bed now...

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon!

* * *

"Cobalt! *_Knock knock*_ Are you awake dear?" _No…I'm sleeping…_

"I'm coming in!" _No, go away…_

"You're still asleep? C'mon rise and shine!" _I don't want to get u—hey why is it so much colder all of the sudden?!_

"Uuhhhggg give me back my blanket…" I groggily open one of my eyes to see Cream in front of me with my fiery blue blanket in her hands.

"No! It's morning, time to get up!"

"F-five more minutes…" I rolled over and covered my head with my pillows.

"Cobalt, c'mon get up! I made breakfast and everything! You don't want to be late on your first day, do you?"

"I'm…not hungry…" I whined with my voice muffled by the pillow. It took a moment for my brain to completely process what Cream just said, and suddenly my eyes widened and I got up instantly. The pillows that were covering my head flew across the room and Cream flinched back at my sudden movement.

"Wait, it's my first day of school! Cream! Why didn't you say so earlier?!"

Cream smiled and chuckled. "Hehe, I wanted to see your reaction! Sorry!" I responded by giving her a pouty face. _This must be what Auburn means by Cream teasing all the time…_ "Oh but don't worry, you aren't actually late. You could honestly go back to bed for another five minutes and be fine if you wanted to." She shrugged.

"Well I'm already up and…_yaaawn…_awake…" I yawned loudly, one hand covering my mouth and the other stretched upwards.

Cream gave me a glare with her hands on her waist. "That yawn doesn't convince me." She said sternly. "Why are you so tired anyway? Too tired from playing yesterday?"

"_Yaaawn…_N-no…I was so excited for school that I couldn't sleep last night. So I ended up reading and got too into it I guess…" I rubbed my eyes to get rid any drowsiness left.

"Oh Cobalt…" Cream sighed but smiled. "Well go on and shower. That'll wake you up! Breakfast will be ready when you get out!"

"You lied about that too?"

"Hee hee!" She winked as she tossed my blanket on my bed. Then she left the room, leaving me alone with my pillows on the floor. I sighed as I picked them up and made my bed, then made my way to the bathroom next door. After turning the knob on the shower, I stood there half-asleep waiting for the water to get warm enough to enter.

Once it was warm enough, I entered, feeling the warm water hitting my body. "_Yaawwwnn…_Showers never wake me up…" I yawned, staring up at the shower so that the water would wake me up, which it didn't.

I stepped out of the shower after standing there for who-knows-how-long and dried myself up. When I got out of the bathroom I saw Cream at the dining table with my backpack, the same one Mother gave me that was once filled with my emergency kit. I actually haven't seen it since I moved in here.

"I hope you don't mind using this..." Cream asked nervously. "It was a little roughed up, but I washed it and sewed up some of the holes…" She held it up to show that it was in fact clean. It even looked brand new! I shook my head as in response and joined her at the dining table.

"No, not at all! I'd rather use it than have you buy me a new one! Thanks for fixing it up! It looks like it's never been used!"

"Oh thank goodness, I thought you were going to be angry at me!" Cream placed her hand on her chest and let out a sigh of relief. "I went ahead and put everything that was in it in your closet, including your album."

"I could never be angry at you! You do so much for me! Thanks for everything you do!" I thanked her and looked down at the plate in front of me, "And I'm especially thankful for the food! It looks delicious!" I smiled and began to chow down.

"Cobalt…" Cream said quietly. "Heh, you really are something!" She smiled and joined me in enjoying our breakfast.

We spent our breakfast talking about small things, mostly about what it's like to go to a real school (Not that Mother's school wasn't real!) We went over most of it yesterday during dinner, and it mostly consisted of Cream telling me that I was going to be fine. She said as long as I'm myself, then the other kids will naturally become friends with me. I can only hope that's true…

"Oh, I heard the door! That's probably Auburn!"

"How can y—"

"COBAAAAALLLLTTT! YOU READY?!" Surely enough it was Auburn. No one else would scream my name out like that.

"Hehe, don't underestimate my hearing abilities!" Cream winked. I give her a shocked expression, impressed that she really can hear such faint sounds. She responded with a smile and handed me my backpack. "You better get going before Auburn gets too angry! Make sure you head to the front office when you get there. Your teacher should be waiting for you there."

"Thanks Cream!" I hugged her. She jumped a little and gave a small gasp, not expecting me to hug her so suddenly. I looked up at her, her eyes filled with love and happiness, and she hugged me back tightly.

"Heh, have a good first day at school!" She broke the hug and patted me on the head.

"I will! See you later!" I waved good-bye and headed downstairs and outside the hospital. When I reached outside, I was greeted by an impatient Vulpix and calm Ralts waiting for me.

"Good morning Cobalt!" Mint bowed.

"Took you long enough!" Auburn pouted with her eyes closed angrily. She then turned towards me and opened her eyes, revealing her burning red eyes, and smiled, "You ready to go?! Are you pumped up for school?! Because I am! I've never been so excited for school before!"

"Yeah me too!" Mint agreed.

"Same here! I'm so excited, but also so nervous!" I added.

Auburn looked at me with an expression that was a mixture of shocked and slightly annoyed. "Still? C'mon you'll be fine!"

"I-I know that, but still…it's a new school! And there's going to be more than two students in this class! It's a huge step for me!" I retorted with my voice raised. Auburn flinched back slightly at my louder voice, but Mint seemed to remain calm. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to yell like that…"

Mint slowly stepped towards me and placed her hand on my shoulder. "No, I know it's nerve-racking. Auburn's hot-headedness doesn't exactly make it any better…" Mint turned around and glared at the overly excited princess.

"Hey!" Auburn said offended.

"Hehe," Mint chuckled, "It's only natural to be nervous, and it really is a big step for you, but you can count on Auburn and I to take that step with you!" She said proudly and confidently.

"Mint…" I said slowly, somewhat shocked to hear Mint say something so motivational. My first impressions of her definitely didn't make her seem like the confident type. I glanced over at Auburn to see a warm smile on her face. I looked back at Mint and nodded, "Thanks Mint! That means a lot to me!" I smiled happily at her. For a split second, I could've sworn I saw her eyes widen and her face grow red, but she quickly turned away before I could really tell.

"N-no problem Cobalt…"

"Well, now that that's out of the way, let's go!" Auburn marched ahead.

"Right!" I followed after her, walking past Mint who was still standing there. "You coming?" I turned around.

Mint jumped slightly and looked at me, her face slightly red and flustered. "O-oh! Yeah, sorry!" She headed towards me. I smiled and together we picked up our pace to catch up to Auburn, who didn't seem to notice that we weren't right behind her.

The three of us walked together on the brick path, heading towards the same direction of the shopping district. Cream told me that the school is located in the heart of the city, and that all levels of schools are in the same area, with there being only one school of each level. Seeing as how elementary school starts the latest, the streets were filled with kids all heading to school with no teens in sight. Like always, many Pokémon stopped and greeted the princess, with none of them actually getting in way, most likely because they know we're on our way to school.

"Oh? Is that it right there?" I pointed out to a large brick building up ahead that many kid Pokémon like us were entering into.

"That's right! Homura Elementary is just up ahead! And not too far after that is Homura Middle School and Homura High School!" Mint confirmed.

"With Homura Middle School being in the middle of the two schools. They definitely had to of done that on purpose." Auburn snickered.

When we reached the school, we stopped in front of it so I could look around. It was red from the brick and had a tall flag pole in the front with a red flag blowing in the wind. Next to the flag pole was a sign that read "Homura Elementary School."

I stood in awe, again surprised out how much bigger things are in the city. "So this is what a real school looks like!"

"Hey, come over here!" Auburn motioned us to follow her to the side of the building. Mint and I followed her and we were led to the biggest playground I've ever seen!

"Whoa!" I exclaimed. The playground was filled with all sorts of different things to play on! It had a huge swing set, a straight slide and a twisting slide, monkey bars, see saws, and the biggest jungle gym I've ever seen! There was also a large grass field for running around and even a basketball court! Several Pokémon were playing on the main playset, using the most of their extra time before school starts.

"I've never seen such a grand playground before!" I shouted excitedly.

"Really? This is pretty normal for schools and parks." Mint said, shocked.

"Is it? Huh. Well I guess a town filled with miners and workers would have no need for such a big playground." I said sheepishly. "Either way, recess must be tons of fun with so many things to do!"

"You got that right!" Auburn shouted.

"Indeed." Mint nodded. "Anyway, shall we head to class now?" Auburn and I nodded and together the three of us went back to the main entrance.

We entered the school, and I again was amazed at how different it was compared to my school at home. The entrance lobby was a spacious room with several hallways in all directions, reminiscent of the castle. The walls were decorated with bulletin boards and posters promoting things like reading and staying active. I noticed that there were also works of art from students, ranging from drawings that were drawn well by older students, to finger paintings from kindergarteners.

"Wow, so this is what the inside of an actual school looks like!"

"What did your school look like?" Mint asked.

"It was just a small, wooden building. Once you entered inside you were already in the classroom. No halls or offices."

"Wow really?" Mint said with her mouth over her hand, shocked at how different it was. I nodded to confirm my claim. Auburn's reaction, however, was more on the rude side.

"Sounds boring!" She said with a somewhat disgusted look. I decided to ignore her rude comment on Mother's school and looked around some more before remembering what Cream told me.

"Oh yeah, Cream told me that I'm supposed to go to the front office first. She said the teacher will be waiting for me there."

"She did? Ms. Luna is waiting for you there?" Auburn asked.

"Ms. Luna?"

"She's our teacher, a Braixen. She's apparently young for a teacher, my mother says. And she's very self-conscious about not being fully evolved." Mint explained.

"But she's super nice and super fun! It's fun to make fun of her not being a Delphox yet! Or just teasing her about anything is always guaranteed a giggle!" Auburn laughed. Mint rolled her eyes (or at least it looked like she did. It's hard to tell with what I think is her hair covering most of her face) and sighed.

"The office is right over there." Mint pointed to a door nearby us. "I guess we'll head on to class without you then."

"O-oh." I said quietly and in a monotone voice, "A-alright then, I'll s-see you soon…" I said slowly and looked down at the floor as I nervously shifted my feet. It remained silent for a moment, and since my head was down I couldn't see their reactions.

"Hmmmmmmm?" I looked up to see Auburn up close to my face. I jumped back and gasped at her appearing in front of me all of the sudden.

"A-Ah! W-w-what?" I asked, flustered. Auburn chuckled at my reaction then sighed.

"If you want us to go with you, just say so! Don't act so sad!" Auburn grinned.

"O-oh, sorry…" I coughed to clear my throat. "Um…can you guys come with me?"

"Of course we will, right Mint?"

"Yes!" Mint nodded.

I smiled warmly; knowing that I have my friends with me definitely makes things more endurable! "Thanks!"

The two of them smiled back and together we headed to the office. When we reached the door, I stood there nervously, but looked back at Auburn and Mint. They both gave me a confident nod, telling me to go on and open the door. I nodded back and placed my hand on the door knob, and as I'm about to turn it the door suddenly opened itself! The force I was going to use to open the door caused me to fall flat on my face.

"O-oof!" I grunted with my face on the floor. I heard Auburn and Mint gasp behind me.

"Oh dear! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" A white paw appeared in front of my face. I looked up to see a worried Braixen looking down at me.

"Y-yeah I'm fine." I took her paw and got up with her assistance.

She lifted me up, smiled, and apologized again. "I'm so sorry!" The Braixen bowed. She was holding some books in one of her arms. She seemed young, appearing to look like she was still in high school.

"Ms. Luna!" Auburn and Mint said at the same time. _Wait, did they say Ms. Luna?_

"Oh, Mint and Princ—" The Braixen was cut off by Auburn clearing her throat loudly, "Err, I mean Auburn! What are you two doing here? Shouldn't you be waiting for me in class?"

"We were showing Cobalt here where the office was." Mint explained.

"Oh! So this Riolu is Cobalt! That makes sense, as there aren't any other Riolu in this school…hehe." Ms. Luna laughed sheepishly. She then bent down so that we were at face level. "Hi there, I'm the third grade teacher here. You can call me Ms. Luna!"

"Nice to meet you, my name is Cobalt." I bowed. I looked at her, expected the "you're so polite" response, but instead I got silent glare that looked like she was observing me.

"Hmm…" Ms. Luna said to herself and nodded with her eyes closed, "Interesting… Yup! You are definitely not your typical third grader! This makes my job easier!"

I titled my head. I wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not. I turned to look at Mint and Auburn, but they looked just as confused as I was. "Um, is that a good thing?"

"Hm?" She opened her eyes, then gasped, "O-oh, did I say that out loud? Uh…"

Before Ms. Luna could a proper answer, a bell starting ringing, resounding through the hallways.

"Oh my, would you look at that? It's time to head to class now! C'mon kids, let's head to the classroom!" Ms. Luna turned around and hastily walked through one of the hallways. I couldn't help but think the bell saved her from an awkward situation. The three of us shared confused looks and shrugged.

"That was weird." Auburn commented, "What do you think that was about?"

"She probably meant Cobalt is a mature student so she won't have to deal with another hyper kid like you!" Mint teased.

"Hey!" Auburn gave out her usual response when someone teases her in front of her face.

"Now, now, I'm just kidding! Let's head to class now." Auburn and I agreed and the three of us went our way through the same hall Ms. Luna went through.

"Ah, there you are!" Ms. Luna said to us when we finally caught up to her. She was standing in front of a door, which had a sign next to it that said "Ms. Luna: 3rd Grade." "Auburn, Mint, you two go on ahead. Cobalt, wait with me here for a second."

"Okay." Mint and Auburn complied and went in the classroom. When they opened the door, I could hear the voices of many other kids.

_Just how many are in there…?_ I thought to myself nervously and gulped.

Ms. Luna must've noticed my nervousness. "Hey, it's going to be alright!" I respond to her attempt to reassure me with a nervous smile. "When we walk in, I'm going to have you introduce yourself to the class."

"W-what?!"

"Don't worry! You just have to tell them your name, no need to make a speech or anything."

"U-um..a-alright…"

"No need to be nervous! I'll be by your side, you can trust me!" Ms. Luna looked at me with a very gentle smile. It definitely was reassuring, but I was still a bit nervous. "Do you want me to hold your hand as we walk in?"

"Oh! N-no, I-I'll be fine…"

"Alright then, you ready?" I took a deep breath to calm myself down and nodded to my teacher. "Okay then, let's go!" She opened the door and entered. I slowly and nervously followed her in. I gasped as I turned my head to see what was waiting for me. There were so many kids in here! There had to be at least 20 of them! Some of them were playing with toys and socializing, while others were just sitting at their desks with books or crayons in hand.

"Alright everyone, settle down!" Ms. Luna clapped her hands together to get their attention. "Clean up your messes, class is starting!" The kids that were playing around all complained and reluctantly put away the toys and took their seats. Everyone then noticed something different and suddenly the room was filled with whispers.

"Hey who's that?"

"Do we have a new student?"

"Oh is that who I think it is?"

"Yeah, the one the princess rescued!"

"Good morning class! We have a new student joining us today! Why don't you introduce yourself?" Ms. Luna turned to look at me and gestured for me to talk.

"U-ummm…" I gulped. I could feel my entire body shaking. Sweat started to fall down my head, and I've never felt so nervous before in my life. Being attacked by that Zoroark was less scary than this! …Okay maybe not, but this was still incredibly nerve-racking! "H-h-h-h-he…" I looked around the class, and everyone's attention was set on me. I could feel their glares stabbing into my chest. Breathing suddenly became a lot more difficult. _I can't do this…_

"Go ahead, they won't bite! Don't be scared!" I felt Ms. Luna put her paw on my shoulder. I looked at her and she gave me another gentle smile. I glanced around the class again and I saw Auburn. She looked like she was trying to tell me to go on. Mint was next to her, and her mouth looked like it said to calm down. I also saw Tangelo, sitting at a different table on the other side of the room. I saw him give a wink at me, trying to tell me that I got this.

I took a deep breath and restarted me introduction. "H-hello, m-my name is C-Cobalt…I'm a R-RIolu from the I-Iron Kingdom, 8 years o-old. I-it's n-nice to meet you all. I-I h-hope we c-c-can be f-f-f-friends…" I stuttered and bowed. _That has got to be one of the toughest things I've done in my life…_

"Hello Cobalt!" I widened my eyes and looked up from my bow. Everyone in the class was smiling.

"Oh wow, a Riolu! I've never seen one before!"

"Nice to meet you!"

"The Iron Kingdom? Cool!"

"I hope we can be friends too!"

_W-wow…they want to be my friends too? _I felt my nervousness start to wash away.

"Hey, are you the one that Auburn rescued?!" One of my classmates asked.

"Y-yes! I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her. She saved my life!" I answered confidently.

"Wooooooow!" The class shouted together. I looked at Auburn and she had a cheeky grin on her face.

"Yup! I saved his life! I told you guys, I really am a hero!" Auburn said proudly, puffing up her chest like she always does. I could only giggle at Auburn's silliness. The room was suddenly filled with shouts of amazement and chatter.

Ms. Luna clapped her hands together regain everyone's attention. "Alright everyone, settle down! We can all talk about the Prin—err I mean Auburn's heroic act during later! For now we need to start class! Now then," She put her paw on her chin and scanned the classroom, "Where should Cobalt sit…?"

"Oh! Ooooh! Ms. Luna! Can he sit here?!" I saw Auburn raising her paw frantically and pointing at the empty seat at her group of desks with the other paw. I noticed that everyone was sitting at their own desk, with four desks forming one big table. Auburn's group had Mint and a female Litwick sitting there.

"Auburn, that's Aika's desk. Cobalt can't take that one."

"Yeah, but she's almost never here! Can't we just kick her out?!"

"Auburn, that's rude! We can't just kick Aika out, even if she's absent most of the time." Ms. Luna explained. I saw Auburn fall back to her seat in defeat, pouting that Ms. Luna wouldn't let me sit there. _Aw, I would've liked to sit with Auburn and Mint…but who is Aika? Why is she absent all the time?_

"Ms. Luna, what about here? This desk is vacant." I looked and saw Tangelo raising his paw. There was an empty seat next to him. Across from him were two other seats, occupied by a male Numel and female Fennekin.

"Yeah Sis, can he sit here with us?" The Fennekin added. _Sis?_

"I say, I would enjoy his presence at our table." The Numel said with some strange accent. _What an interesting accent! I wonder where he's from._

"Maple, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that in class? You have to call me Ms. Luna here!" Ms. Luna sighed, putting a paw on her head.

"But it's just so weird calling you that! Can't I just call you Sis? Or even Luna will do!" The Fennekin, who I learned is Maple and Ms. Luna's sister, tried compromising with her older sister. I could hear some of my classmates giggling at the sibling's argument.

"Maple, now is not the time for this. We need to go on with class! Cobalt, go ahead and take that empty seat next to Tangelo."

"A-alright." I complied and walked to my seat. I looked at Auburn and she looked very annoyed that her cousin got me and she didn't. Tangelo taunted at her by sticking his tongue out at her, making Auburn even more annoyed. _They really don't get along…maybe by sitting next to Tangelo I could fix their relationship!_

"Yo, Cobalt! Isn't this cool? We get to sit next to each other!" Tangelo greeted me.

"Yes, I hope we can become better friends!" I nodded and took my seat. I turned my head to see Maple and the Numel staring at me with excited expressions on their faces.

"Let me introduce you to them." Tangelo said, "The Numel is my best friend, Masello. He transferred here last year. He and his father moved here from some far away land."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, my name is Masello." The Numel with the accent greeted, bowing his head. He was quite polite; it sort of reminded me of myself.

"H-hello, nice to meet you too." I bowed my head as well.

"And the Fennekin is Maple. She's alright I guess…for a girl…" Tangelo said quietly in a somewhat annoyed tone.

"Hey now, that's not very nice to say."

The Fennekin smiled, "Don't mind Tangelo. He's mean to all the girls! It's why the princess hates him!" She giggled.

"That is so not true! And Auburn doesn't hate me!" Tangelo argued.

"Yeah, if you say so!" She rolled her eyes, "Anyway, the name's Maple! In case you didn't notice from that little argument, I'm Ms. Luna's little sister."

I tilted my head. "I thought you said you don't like calling her that?"

Maple responded with a giggle, "Hehe, I just like to tease her! That's what little sisters are for!"

"Or girls in general." Tangelo added while rolling his eyes.

Maple ignored Tangelo's rude comment and continued. "I hope we can be friends!"

"I too hope that we can become closer, chap!" Masello added.

My eyes widened and a large smile began to form on my face after hearing their words. "Y-yes! I would love that very much!" I decided to look at Auburn and give her a smile to tell her that things are going great, but she still looked annoyed that I have to sit with Tangelo instead. _I feel bad that I don't get to spend time with her. She looks really bummed out. Maybe I can join her at lunch and recess!_

I must've been having fun learning and being in school again, because all of the sudden it was lunch time! We all formed a line, going in order of our tables, and made our way to the cafeteria. When we made it there, we stayed in our formation, waiting for our turns to get our lunch from the servers. I finally got my tray of food, and I scanned the cafeteria. There were many tables scatter around the large room, all filled with young Pokémon, kids that seemed to be around my age. I continued to look for a certain Vulpix.

"Where is sh—oh!" I see the princess waving her paw at me at a table nearby, Mint and the Litwick also with her. I started making my way towards her table before someone poked my shoulder. "H-huh?" I looked back to see Tangelo and Masello.

"Hey Cobalt, why don't you just us and the other guys?" Tangelo said, turning his head at a table across the room, filled with other kids from our class, all male.

"Oh, u-um that's okay, I think I'll join Aub—"

I felt something bump on my back all of the sudden. I turned around to see Masello's head on my back. "Now, now chap, don't be like that! Come! Let us enjoy this delicious food with our other chaps!" He started pushing me, away from Auburn and closer to their table.

Tangelo joined Masello in pushing me. "Yeah, don't you want to make other friends?"

_He does have a point…_ "B-but…" I stuttered, trying to resist their pushing.

"Tangelo!" I looked back to see an angry Vulpix.

"Auburn!" I shouted, shocked.

"If Cobalt doesn't want to sit with you stupid boys, then don't force him!" Auburn yelled at her cousin.

"Aw c'mon Auburn! Don't hog him! He needs to meet other kids anyway!" Tangelo argued.

"Then let him sit with us! He hasn't met Tea yet!" Auburn argued back, her voice rising in volume. At this point Auburn moved to my front and started pushing me back towards her table.

Tangelo and Masello both start to push me towards their table. Things are starting to escalate pretty badly. "He doesn't need any more dumb girl friends! He needs to meet all the other cool guys!" Tangelo yelled back at an even louder voice.

"Forgive me, Your Highness, but I do agree with Tangelo. He simply must meet the other chaps!" Masello butted in, in a much quieter voice than the arguing cousins.

"Umm…g-guys? Y-you're hurting me…" I can feel everyone in the cafeteria staring at the four of us. Their pushing was starting to hurt, and I struggled to keep my tray of food balanced. "And I'm going to drop my food!"

"Dumb girls?! You boys are the dumb ones!" Auburn yelled, ignoring my pleas for them to stop.

"No, you girls are the stupid ones!"

"While I don't think you girls are exactly stupid, I simply must support Tangelo in this case!"

_Where are the adults when you need them?! _I need to do something before they start attacking each other! "S-stop it!" I shouted loudly. I seemed to have finally got through to them, as Auburn and Tangelo both stopped pushing me. However, I wish I could say the same for Masello…

"H-huh?!" The Numel jumped, startled from my sudden shouting and fell on his side. Something red started to spew out of the hole on his hump. It resembled lava, but is it really lava? "Oh no, not aga—err I mean…AHEM!" Masello helped himself back up, trying to ignore the fact that he fell on the ground and spilled lava.

"Pffft! Haha! Seriously Masello?" Tangelo laughed at his best friend. Many of the other Pokémon that were watching also started laughing and soon the room was filled with laughter. Even Auburn was laughing at what just happened.

"I-I don't see what's so f-funny! There's nothing to laugh about! I-it's not l-like this is embarrassing or anything!" Masello tried playing it off cool, but the bright red cheeks on his face made it hard to believe.

"W-whatever! I'm starving and my food is getting cold, so get out of my way!" His voice and tone suddenly changed as the Numel walked past us and straight to the table he and Tangelo were forcing me to a moment ago. Some of the kids at that table continued to laugh at him, but he ignored them and starting digging into his lunch quite…wildly.

"Um, is he okay? He seemed really upset. It's not very nice to laugh at him like that…" I asked with worry in my voice.

Tangelo suddenly put one of his fore legs around my neck, almost causing me to drop my tray. "Aw, don't worry about him! He always gets like that when he falls. Masello is pretty clumsy, and when he falls lava starts to pour out of his hump. He always tries to play it cool, but he's always so obviously embarrassed, so it makes it that more funny!"

"And he's a total glutton! He always has lots of food and he never shares! And as you saw, his attitude totally changes when he's hungry! He gets hungry when he gets embarrassed!" Auburn added.

"If you say so…" I'm still worried even if they both say it's not a big deal. "Anyway, sorry Tangelo, but I want to eat lunch with Auburn. I haven't talked to her at all since class started."

Tangelo lowered his head, disappointed by my decision. "Aw, lame! Alright then, I suppose that's fair enough…"

"Ha! Go back to you're stupid friends!" Auburn stuck her tongue out, rubbing in her mini victory against her cousin.

"If I wanted to go to my stupid friends, I'd go sit with you!" Tangelo said angrily.

"Guys!" I shouted, getting fed up by their arguing, "Why are you so mean to each other?"

"Hmph! It's his fault! Let's go Cobalt!" Auburn, ignoring my question, turned her head haughtily and walked back to her table. Tangelo did the same as his cousin and walked back to his table. I sighed and followed Auburn. I noticed that everyone else was back to their own business, except for Maple. She looked at me with concern, and when our eyes met, she shrugged and went back to eating her lunch with her friends.

I joined Auburn at her table, which only consisted of two other Pokémon: Mint and a Litwick, which I think Auburn mentioned earlier during her argument as Tea. Mint waved at me, with me waving back. I tried waving at the Litwick too, but she gasped quietly and looked away. _Is she scared of me…?_

"Sorry that took so long, things got a little nasty there." Auburn said.

"A little?! You got in a huge argument with Tangelo! Again! If a responsible adult was around, you two could've gotten in huge trouble! You're lucky the lunch lady doesn't really care what we do!" Mint yelled at her the princess. "Why can you two just get along?"

"Whatever!" Auburn shouted, obviously frustrated. "Anyway, Cobalt this Litwick is Tea. She's extremely shy and pretty much only talks to Mint. She can barely talk to me without stuttering!"

"S-s-sorry, Y-Your H-Highness… R-royalty j-j-just m-makes me s-super nervous!" Tea stuttered nervously, barely making eye contact with Auburn.

Auburn rolled her eyes in annoyance. "First of all, I told you to just call me Auburn. We're friends aren't we? And second, you're nervous around everyone!"

Tea jumped at Auburn's annoyance and tightly grabbed onto Mint's arm. "I-I g-guess… S-sorry!" Tea squealed. _It's kind of strange to see a Ghost-type be so nervous and scared._

"Ahaha…sorry guys." Mint apologized. "Tea just has a fear of other Pokémon. She's grown attached to me though because we used to be next door neighbors when we were younger."

"And it made me really sad when you moved away too!" Tea whined, still gripping onto Mint. _It looks like she doesn't stutter when she talks to Mint… _

Mint nervously chuckled, "Yeah, I know, I know…"

"Mint actually used to live close to Cream's! But her family moved when her mom's hospital was built." Auburn added.

"Oh? That's interesting…" _So Ms. Sana used to live near the hospital, but moved away when she got her own hospital? I feel like there's more behind that… _"Anyway, it's nice to meet you Tea! I hope we can be friends too!"

"I-I'll try…" She said, letting go of Mint's arm. She tried to look at me and forced a small smile on her face, but I could tell she was still extremely nervous.

Lunch continued on with mostly Auburn and Mint's small talk which mostly consisted of asking me how I was doing, with Tea listening quietly. Auburn mostly asked questions on how sitting with Tangelo was, and whenever I said something nice about him, she would give me her stubborn "hmph!" and not believe me.

When lunch was over, the bell rang signaling everyone that it was time for recess. The adults on duty to watch us had us all form straight lines, and we all headed towards the door, keeping our perfect formation… at least until we all took our first step outside. The moment their feet met with the grass, the majority of the kids were out and about all over the playground. I wanted to be one of those kids out and about, but a certain pair of cousins were at it again, putting a halt on my time on the playground. Tangelo and Auburn both wanted to play with me, and they were not willing to compromise.

"You already had your time with him at lunch, let him hang with us!"

"What, no! You already have him all day at your table in class!"

"Pfft, don't be jealous! It's not my fault our table had an empty seat! C'mon, you got to play with him this entire time! I want to hang with him too!"

"Now who's the one being jealous?! You're such a hypocrite!"

This is getting out of hand. Is this how things are going to be every day? Their relationship is a lot worse than I initially thought. I tried butting in and saying we should all just play together, but the two gave me a big, loud "NO!" at the same time. I gave out a sigh of defeat. I wanted my first day of school to be fun with my new friends, but it seems my new friends have been split into two groups...

With my head down in defeat, I failed to notice someone walk up to me. "Psst, hey!" I turned around to see Maple tapping on my shoulder.

"Maple?"

"Follow me! And hurry before they notice you're gone!" Maple whispered quietly, looking behind me to make sure Auburn and Tangelo were still busy arguing.

"Um, okay." I nodded and followed the Fennekin to the playground.

_What could this be about…?_

* * *

Sorry! I wanted to keep going but I'm already super late on uploading this so I stopped it here. Plus I wanted to try something new and end it with a cliffhanger! HA! CURSE YOU CLIFFHANGERS!

So! New friends! Masello, Maple, and Tea! Also Ms. Luna! I'll start off by saying Masello is OC from my friend Starry's Light! His name sort of follows the pattern, as Masello was taken from the Munsell color wheel thing. Tea is also sort of OC, this time from Shadow Snivy! She just came up with the idea of a friend for Mint named Tea because Mint Tea is delicious LOL, I'm making up her personality as I go haha. Same with Maple, I have no idea what I'm going to do with her :P Ms. Luna's name was taken from Braixen's Japanese name, Tairenar, or Teerunaa...Runna...Luna...yeeeaaahhh...

Oh, and now that I'm back in school, I have no idea how the upload schedule will be. I'll try to keep it to once every two weeks as best as I can...

Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

Hello again! I think this is being uploaded on time... *shrugs*

Oh and I wanna mention that on my bio I made mini-profiles for everyone. Check them out if you want :D OH! And I also want to clarify that in the story it is currently the beginning of Spring (mid-March) so...yeah! Yay Spring!

This was super fun to write! There are several references made as well. Can YOU tell where they're from?!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon!

* * *

Maple led me to the main playground, which had slides, bridges, ladders, poles, and just about everything you would expect. Like a normal playground, the platforms were all elevated so you could also play under the playground where there were more things to do like games on the walls and even a bench where you could just hang out and talk to your friends, which is exactly what Maple seems to intend. We stopped under the playground, where Mint was seated with Tea and Masello stood nearby.

"What's going on? Is this some sort of meeting or something?"

"That is correct, chap!" Masello responded with his foreign accent.

"As I'm sure you've noticed, the princess and her cousin have been at it all day." Maple explained.

"And it's gotten a lot worse now that you've been added to the picture Cobalt!" Mint shouted in a worried voice, "Auburn and Tangelo don't usually have big arguments like this; this has gotten ridiculous!" Mint turned to Tea, hoping she would add something or agree with her, but when Tea noticed our attention was turned to her, she only jumped and nodded nervously.

"This is why I got all of us together: so we can think of a plan! I'm tired of seeing Tangelo fighting with the princess. I know they used to be so close, but ever since Tangelo started hanging with those other guys, well it's just gone downhill. I blame Garnet! He's a jerk!" Maple shouted.

"I-I agree… I d-d-don't like him…" Tea surprisingly added.

"Who's that?"

"He's the lead chap, a Torchic. The coolest of all of us… At least that is what Tangelo says." Masello shrugged. "Something about him having this really cool birthday party and now all the boys in class follow him around. I don't it happened before I moved here. Garnet is very, well…charismatic and influential. I would definitely say he's the reason why many of the boys think girls are stupid; they're just following what says. I personally think he is a jerk and do not enjoy his presence in my circle of friends, but if my best friend thinks he is cool, then I suppose I have no choice but to tolerate him."

"Really? So you don't really think the girls are stupid or anything?" I asked, surprised at what he just said. I looked to see that the girls had similar responses as me.

"No, I was just supporting Tangelo. I was not in my interests to harm any of you, so I must apologize. Masello lowered his head, remorse in voice as he apologized. "That is why I am here. I too am I tired of seeing my dear chap fighting with royalty, especially when that royalty is his own cousin!"

"W-wow. That's very admirable of you Masello!"

"Y-you think?" The Numel responded in surprise with his eyes wide. "Hehe…" He chuckled with his cheeks flustered in red and his eyes closed happily.

"So what should we do about our situation? How do we get them to be friends again?" I asked. I looked around to see everyone with their heads down.

"That's the thing," Maple said with her ears lowered, "I have no idea how to get them to be friends again."

"Then we just have to put our heads together and brainstorm!" Mint said optimistically.

"P-put our heads together…? Is that some sort of Psychic-type trick?" Masello tilted his head in confusion.

"She means just work together to think of ideas, silly!" Maple explained.

"O-o-oh! I knew that! Heh…" The Numel chuckled sheepishly, his face flushed with red. Maple laughed, while Mint and I gave soft chuckles. Even the quiet Tea gave a faint smile. It felt nice, laughing with good friends like this. _…Oh!_

"THAT'S IT!" I shouted loudly and suddenly. Everyone jumped and flinched at my unexpected shouting.

"W-what?!" Maple yelled, "Why are you shouting all of the sudden?!"

"Did you think of an idea?" Mint asked in a calmer tone than the Fennekin.

"Yeah! Why don't we just get Auburn and Tangelo to hang out?"

"…That's it?" Maple asked, unimpressed.

"Um, is it really that simple?" Masello questioned, unsure of my idea.

"Now wait a second," Mint responded, "Maybe Cobalt's on to something. I mean look, just by hanging out and brainstorming like this I feel like I've gotten a lot closer to the both of you!"

"Yeah, but do you really think Auburn and Tangelo will agree to just hanging out with each other?" Maple argued in the same unimpressed tone.

"Well then why don't we all hang out? It would be fun if all seven of us could have a play date or something!" I added.

"But then where would we play? And wouldn't we need a chaperone? I don't think it'd be a good idea for seven kids to be running around without a responsible adult watching us. Mother wouldn't allow."

"I don't think Sis would either…" Maple agreed.

"Um, how about the castle? I'm sure Auburn wo—"

"Not going to happen. Mother _definitely _wouldn't allow it." Mint said bluntly.

"How about a park? Is there a park anywhere where we could play?"

"There's one not too far from here. Homura Family Park is just a few blocks away." Maple informed me.

"Great! And I'm sure if I ask Cream she'd be happy to watch us!"

"O-oh," Mint stuttered, "W-wouldn't Cream be busy running her hospital? W-we wouldn't want to b-bother her while she's working right?" Mint nervously looked away while tapping her fingers (or are they hands? Do Ralts have fingers?) together. "Besides, she took last Saturday off to go shopping with you right? I-I'm sure she probably needs to work to recover her budget…"

_Hmm? That was rather…odd. I feel like it's more like Ms. Sana wouldn't allow Mint to go if Cream was watching us._ I thought as I secretly glared at Mint's strange behavior. "I suppose I can't argue with that…"

"Oh!" Masello said excitedly, "I'm sure my dad wouldn't mind! How does this Saturday sound?"

"Perfect! So Cobalt, you tell Auburn that you want to hang out this weekend at the park and Masello you can invite Tangelo!" Maple said excitedly.

"All right!" I nodded enthusiastically, "Hehe, this sounds so exciting!"

"Indeed it does, chap!"

Mint didn't share our excitement. Instead she nervously looked away. "Um, I'll try to convince my mother to let me go…"

"A-and I-I'm not going i-if Mint isn't…" Tea stuttered, grasping onto Mint's arm.

"Aw, well do your best! I'd be disappointed if you weren't there!" I smiled gently at Mint, and then turned to Tea, "Same with you, Tea. I hope you both make it!"

Tea nodded nervously, just as I expected, but Mint's reaction was a little unexpected. Rather than a confident "I will!" she instead flinched slightly and looked away, as if she was trying to avoid eye contact.

"Y-y-yeah… I-I'll convince my mother somehow…" She said in a quiet and stuttered tone. Again, I couldn't tell, but it looked like her face was slightly flustered.

"Um, Mint, are you okay?" I asked, concerned that she's acting slightly weird.

"H-huh?" Mint jumped, "Oh! Y-yeah…yeah, I'm okay." Mint answered in an unconvincing tone as she jumped off the bench, "We should probably go back to Auburn. I'm actually surprised that she hasn't noti—"

"HEEEEEEEEEEY! MINT! COBALT! UM, EVEN TEA! WHERE'D YOU GUYS GO?!" A recognizable yell resounded through the entire playground and cuts of Mint.

"I take that back," Mint sighed, "Come on Tea, let's go."

"Okay." Tea answered straightforwardly, jumping off the bench and following Mint to the shouting princess.

"I should probably take my leave as well and find Tangelo. He must be worried sick that I am not by his side!" Masello bowed, "Farewell my chaps! I shall see you again after recess!" Maple and I nodded and soon we were left alone.

"Well that was fun! Thanks for setting all that up Maple! I'm super excited for Saturday now!"

"Yeah sure, no prob." Maple turned around and took a few steps away from me, "Someone had to do it," Maple twirled around so she was facing me, "I just have you to thank for escalating their arguments and helping me realize that that someone should be me! Hehe!" She giggled and winked.

"Uh, you're welcome?" I answered while rubbing the back of my head.

"Hehe, speaking of the princess, shouldn't you go after her too? I don't want to make the princess worried that she can't find her new best friend!"

"What about you? Why not join us? Like Mint said earlier, I feel like we're all good friends now. You're friends with Auburn too right?"

Maple flinched and awkwardly avoided looking straight at me. "W-well, I guess we're friends. It's not like I dislike her or anything, it's just kinda, I dunno, intimidating to play with a real princess, even if she doesn't even act like one." Maple explained, shifting her paws around nervously. _This must be what Auburn meant when she said she doesn't have many "good" friends._

"What? Auburn? Intimidating? Are we talking about the same Vulpix?" I joked.

"Oh come on! You know what I mean!" Maple pouted.

"Hmm, I guess I can sort of see what you mean. Maybe I'm much more comfortable around her because I didn't know she was royalty when I met her." I shrugged, "But you're joining us on Saturday right? You can get a hard start at being more comfortable around royalty!" I smiled.

"I…guess I can't argue with that…" Maple looked away, her face slightly red from embarrassment.

"There you are!" I turned around to see Auburn with Mint and Tea behind her. "What are you doing here with Maple?"

"P-princess!" Maple gasped. Auburn, in response to Maple's gasp, rolled her eyes before letting out a sigh.

"Maple, how many times do I have to tell you? Just call me Auburn!" Auburn pouted with her cheeks puffed up. Maple responded with a nervous nod, very unlike the Fennekin that I was talking to before Auburn showed up. "Why does everybody at school call me Princess…?" Auburn whispered to herself quietly; however it was just barely audible enough for me to hear.

"Auburn…" I sympathized.

"Whatever, c'mon Cobalt, let's go play!"

"But what about Maple?" I asked. I saw the Fennekin's ears twitch at the sound of her name being mention, her eyes widening ever so slightly. "Can she join us?"

"Huh?" Auburn said with a surprised expression before taking a moment to think about what I asked. "Um…I guess. Why not? The more the merrier! But only if she stops calling me Princess!" Auburn said cheerfully, before turning her attention to Maple. "My name is Auburn, not Princess y'know!" Auburn stated firmly.

"…Can I really? I'm not going to get in your guys' way or anything?" Maple asked quietly, her ears lowered as if she was scared.

"Of course you can! Right guys?" I looked back at my friends to get confirmation from them.

"Yes, I'd love to become closer friends with you Maple!" Mint nodded.

"I-f Mint wants to, I g-guess I d-don't mind…" Tea stuttered quietly.

"Yeah…" Auburn whispered, almost as if she couldn't believe that Maple was going to play with her. "Yeah! I'd love you to join Maple! I wanna be close friends with you too!"

Maple's face slowly grew a large smile and her ears rose back up to their original positions. "Okay then! I'll play with you Pri—err, Auburn!" Maple cheered happily.

"Yay! Let's all be great friends!" Auburn jumped in excitement. Mint nodded in agreement while Tea tried to work up a faint smile.

"Yeah!" I laughed, happy to be surrounded by good friends. I turned my head and made eye contact with Maple, which she responded with a smile and wink.

"Thanks Cobalt!"

* * *

"I see! It looks like you had quite the eventful first day of school!" Cream said cheerfully after I finished telling her everything that happened today. She got up and grabbed both of our empty dinner plates and headed to the sink. "I think it's great that you've made so many new friends, even if it started off a bit rough! It's good that you guys are doing something about Auburn and Tangelo's rocky relationship too."

"Yeah, I'm relieved Auburn didn't need any convincing to come to the park on Saturday." I got up and pushed my seat back in, "I'm really excited! I had tons of fun today at recess, but I think it'll be even more fun if Masello and Tangelo played with us too! It's a bit awkward being the only boy playing with a group of girls…"

"Haha, you have nothing to worry about dear! A good friend is a good friend, regardless of their gender, species, type, age, or anything!" Cream laughed heartily. "By the way, do you kids need a chaperone? While I trust you all and am sure you will all be fine, it's better to have a responsible adult around. Better safe than sorry!"

"Oh yeah, I volunteered and said that I'd ask you to watch us, but Mint said that you would probably be busy and need to work, especially since we went a little overboard on Saturday."

"Mint said that? Huh…" Cream said with her eyes slightly widened. She placed her hand under her chin and thought for a moment before speaking her mind again. "Well, that certainly is thoughtful of her. She is right; I do have quite a bit of work. But I wouldn't have minded setting that aside to watch you all! Is someone else doing it instead?"

"Yeah, Masello said he'd ask his father to do it."

"Masello's dad? Oh yes, the Camerupt, Bubbington!" Cream said in a playful tone. "Hm, yes, he should be fine. He can raise a kid by himself, so six extra kids for a few hours shouldn't hurt."

"By himself? Does Masello not have a mother?"

"Ah, yes. The poor child only has one parent. Oh, and I advise you to try to avoid asking either of them the backstory on that. They can become quite…agitated if you ask." Cream warned.

"Okay then, I'll respect that then. It's none of my business after all."

"That's right," Cream nodded, "I'm glad to hear that you understand. Most kids your age would probably constantly pester until they get what they want! Hehe!" Cream chuckled.

"Y-yeah…" I nodded back slowly. I couldn't help but think that Cream also being slightly passive aggressive in that statement.

* * *

The next few days of school were slighter quieter than the first, at least until it was recess. The cousins had a mutual agreement that during lunch time I would sit with Auburn's table since I already sit next to Tangelo in class. Also Maple has joined, so Auburn's lunch table now holds five of us. Maple has been getting a lot more comfortable around Auburn, and her company is definitely appreciated by all of us. Due to Maple's example of being a normal kid becoming closer to Auburn, more and more of my classmates (mostly the girls) have been talking to Auburn more comfortably and even call her by her name. It's great seeing them all get along, but the one important Pokémon still isn't in good terms with her: Tangelo.

The moment recess starts, Tangelo, with Masello not far behind, would rush to me and try to take me away from Auburn. Every time I suggested that we should all play, Tangelo and Auburn would immediately lash on the idea, much to mine and everyone's dismay. Usually, Auburn would think of something to get away from Tangelo. One time she made Mint use Teleport to get us away, the poor Ralts was exhausted after teleporting five of us, even if it was a short distance!

"Look, Auburn, you've had him for the past four days! Let him hang out with someone else for once!" Tangelo shouted.

"Cobalt can make his own decisions, and he's decided to play with us again!" Auburn argued back.

"Err, actually…" I tried butting in quietly, especially since I technically didn't decide to play with Auburn.

"Stay out of this!" The angry Vulpix yelled before I could finish.

"Yes ma'am!" I flinched. Mint rolled her eyes, while Masello and Maple sighed. However, Tea surprisingly chuckled very faintly.

"See, you're forcing him to play with you! You're such hypocrite Auburn!" Tangelo stated, while Auburn, not being able to deny it, turned her head around and gave a loud "hmph!" sound. "Cobalt, come with us! You need to hang and meet other kids! Besides, everyone's saying things about you playing with four other girls!"

"T-they are?" I stuttered. I've never been gossiped about before, and I don't want to start! "W-w-what are they saying?!"

"They're saying that you might actually like girls!" Tangelo shouted in an extremely worried voice. The seven of us were silent for a moment, speechless from what Tangelo just said. I could see Masello from behind shaking his head and putting one of his forelegs on his head.

Auburn shook her head and turned around. "Tangelo, you're an idiot. We're leaving." The Vulpix beckoned her friends to follow her, leaving behind the dumbfounded Growlithe. I stood there, at a loss at how to handle this situation.

"U-um… S-sorry Tangelo. I'll hang with you next week for sure." I apologized and ran after my female friends, leaving my male friends behind.

_Next week for sure…this plan will definitely work!_

* * *

"Cobalt! Are you ready?!" Shouts outside my door could be heard. Its owner can only belong to one Pokémon.

I walk to my door and turn the knob to see Auburn with her backpack and a huge smile on her face. "You know, civilized Pokémon knock instead of shouting." I glared.

"Pfft, it's whatever!" The Vulpix playfully rolls her eyes, ignoring my statement. "So are you ready?!"

"Yeah, I guess." I answer, with my toy sword in one hand and my ball in the other, "Are we going to role-play at the park or something? Should I get my backpack too?"

"We might! Sure, why not? It'll be tons of fun! Especially since Mint, Tea, and even Maple will be coming! They can be the bad guys and we can be the heroes that save the world! No monster can withstand my mythical and mysterious magic spells!" Auburn jumps up and down excitingly with a toy wand in her paw. I couldn't help and also be pumped up after that.

"Haha, well what are we waiting for then? Let's go!" I grabbed my backpack, loaded it up, closed my bedroom door and headed for downstairs, Auburn trailing right behind me.

"Have fun kids! And stay out of trouble!" Cream waved at us as we passed by her office on the first floor of the hospital.

"Bye Cream!" Auburn and I said at the same time as we ran past her and through the hall.

I stepped outside with Auburn by my side and together we made our way to Homura Family Park. Mint and Maple said they would meet us there since they lived closer to the park than my house, and Tea said she would go alone, probably because she doesn't want to be around others if Mint isn't around.

The route to the park was essentially the same as the way to school, although with a few different turns. It was exactly as Maple said: just a few blocks away from the school. When we reached there, we were greeted by a humongous green area filled with nature and Pokémon. The park contained just about everything you would expect a park to have: open fields, hills, playgrounds, picnic tables, gazebos, and basketball and tennis courts. There was even a fountain, similar to the one at the castle!

"W-whoa! This is huge! There's so much stuff here!" I stood there in awe.

"Are you gonna react like this every time we go somewhere new?" Auburn teased.

"Hey, I can't help it! The city really is different than rural towns!"

"Haha, I know I'm just kidding!" Auburn laughed. "Mint said she'd meet us at the open field over there, let's go!" Auburn entered the park and ran towards the open field across the park, not waiting for me like always.

_Heh, it's never a quiet day with her around! _I smiled and ran after the hyper Vulpix. As I ran across the park I took the opportunity to let everything in. I made several "whoa's" and "wow's" as I passed by everything. _This is nothing like the tiny park back home! There are so many Pokémon here!_

After taking in the sights I turned my focus back to the open field. I saw Auburn standing there by herself, tapping her foot.

"Too slow!" She yelled as soon I was close enough.

"Sorry, I just wanted to look at everything!" I looked around the open field. It was mostly open, not that many Pokémon around. There were a few trees, some benches, a hill, and one of the playgrounds was also nearby. What I mainly noticed though was that none of my other friends were here yet. "Looks like we beat them here. Shall we wait for them at that bench?" I suggested as I pointed to the nearest bench.

"Yeah, sure I guess." Auburn nodded and headed to the bench. I followed and took a seat next to her.

…

…

…

_Why is she being so quiet?!_

"Umm…" I broke the ice and said something.

"Yes?"

"Uh, are you okay? You're unusually quiet." I asked. Auburn has never been this calm and quiet before around me.

"Oh, yeah. I was just thinking…"

"Thinking? You can do that?" I teased.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" She pouted.

"Haha, I'm just kidding!"

"Hmph, Cream is totally rubbing off you!"

"Heh, sorry…" I apologized, "So what are you thinking about?"

"Just thinking about how peaceful and happy everything is around here. Look at everyone having fun here! It brings a smile to my face that this is such a peaceful kingdom…" Auburn smiled as she stared off in the distance.

"Auburn…"

"And me too! My life is so fun and filled with happiness lately. I got to meet you, got closer to Maple, and everyone in class is starting to treat me more like a normal kid! Of course, they still treat me slightly different, but at least they call me by my name! It's a start!" Auburn then looked down at the ground and gave of a melancholic expression, "I can't help but think it's all because that fateful day I decided to explore the forest… I don't want to even imagine what would've happened if I didn't go there…" She looked at me and smiled, her blazing red eyes shining, "I guess what I'm trying to say is…thanks... Thank you Cobalt!" Auburn then suddenly grabbed me into a tight hug.

"A-Auburn?!"

"Hahaha! Thanks Cobalt! My life has gotten so much more exciting since you showed up! It would be nearly impossible to get Mint to come to the park with me, but that's exactly what we're doing today! It's gonna be so much fun!" Auburn exclaimed and squeezed me tighter.

"Y-y-you're welcome A-Auburn. I-I'm t-thankful too, b-but could you not hug m-me so t-tightly…?"

"Oh my, what do we have here?" Auburn and I instantly turned our heads to see Maple, giving off a mischievous grin. Mint and Tea were also nearby.

"W-what are y-you doing Auburn?!" Mint squealed, her face red under her green hair.

"Oh! Um…" Auburn, flustered and embarrassed, quickly let go of me. "N-nothing!"

"Hehe, it looked like a lot more than nothing!" Maple giggled.

"It l-looked…really cute a-and romantic…" Tea said quietly, her face slightly flushed a light red.

"C-cute and r-r-romantic?!" Mint screamed. Her face became even redder and she started running around in a circle with her hands on her head. "W-w-waaaaaah?!" _What's up with her?!_

"W-why are you freaking out?!" Auburn complained at Mint's sudden outburst. "I…just felt like hugging him, that's all…" Auburn looked down, her face flushed.

_Heh, Auburn's really cute when she's embarrassed like that…wait what did I just think?! _I shook my head violently. "Ahem, ANYWAY! Shall we start playing?" I said nervously, looking left and right. _They're still not here?_

"Y-yeah! We're all here! Did you bring your stuff?"

"I brought some things," Mint, now calmed down, said as she removed her backpack, "Umm, here's a jump rop—"

"Ooh! That's perfect! We can totally play Explorers now!"

"Explorers?" I asked.

"Yup, you and I can be the hero Explorers and they can be the bad guys waiting at the end of the dungeon! Alright, I'll b—…oh no!" Auburn cut herself off and gasped.

"What's wrong?"

"Hello chaps!" A voice in that familiar and yet foreign accent calls out from the distance.

"I-it's Tangelo and Masello!" Auburn panicked. I looked at her direction and saw them nearby with a larger Pokémon with them.

"And a Camerupt? Is that Masello's father?"

"That would be correct, young bloke!" The Camerupt said in the same accent that Masello has, except in a more burly voice. "The name's Bubbington. Ah, Your Highness, pleased to make your acquaintance!" The Camerupt, Mr. Bubbington, bowed politely. "Along with the rest of you as well. Thank you for watching over and being friends with my adorable, lovable son!" He got up from his bow and hugged Masello.

"D-daaad! You're embarrassing me!" Masello complained. _Hehe, they must be quite close!_

"U-um, likewise…" Auburn replied back. "Masello, what are you doing here? With _him_ nonetheless?!" She pointed at the Growlithe. "Shouldn't you be helping Uncle Arc out or something?!" Auburn yelled rudely to her cousin.

"What, is it against the rules for children to come to the park to play?" Masello answered back cool, causing Auburn to flinch.

"Yeah Auburn, I can play in the park with my friends too y'know!" Tangelo replied back sassily.

"Pfft, friends? What friends? All you have here is Masello!"

"Um, I'm pretty sure Maple and I are Tangelo's frie—"

"Stay out of this Cobalt!" The princess ordered.

"Yes ma'am! …Wait, no ma'am! I'm tired of this! Why don't we all play together? We're all here and there's so much to do!" I finally fought back and attempted to force them to play together.

"What?! Us play together? Ew, I would never play with a bunch of girls!" Tangelo rudely stated in a disgusted tone.

"Yeah! I don't want to play with _him!_" Auburn agreed.

"But Tangelo, wouldn't it be more fun with more Pokémon? And Cobalt and Maple are our friends too! Please? Let us join them in playing!" Masello begged.

"Yeah Tangelo! I want to be able to play with all of you! Please don't make me pick sides!" I joined Masello in begging Tangelo.

"Err…c'mon guys, you're making me look bad…"

"You've been doing that fine yourself without our help these past days!" Masello said harshly. _Ouch, but it is the truth…_

Tangelo let out a loud gasp with his eyes widened, before turning his head to avoid his best friend's eyes. "I-I…I guess we can join them…but just this once!" Tangelo said, his face redder than a cheri berry.

Masello and I both let out a gasp, surprised and yet satisfied that we were able to persuade Tangelo to join us. I looked to see Maple and Mint also relieved, while Tea looked happy…I think. Auburn on the other hand…

"What makes you think I'll let you join us?" She said haughtily.

"Oh come on Auburn! He's your cousin for crying out loud!" Mint yelled at her best friend, her patience finally at its limit. "I know you still like him! He's finally agreed to hang with you and here you are being the stubborn little princess!" All of us stood there in awe, speechless at seeing the cool and collected Mint yelling at the princess.

"M-Mint…" Auburn finally managed to say, her eyes wide and glossy, as if she was about to cry. Mint stood there angry for a bit, before gasping and realizing what just happened.

"Eep! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to lose my temper like that…" Mint turned around in embarrassment, "But I meant everything I said…" She said softly.

"She's right you know," Maple said as she walked up to Auburn, "Besides, the more the merrier! That's what I learned from a certain Vulpix!" She winked.

"Maple…"

"Come on Auburn, what do you say? Let's all play together and have fun!" I smiled warmly.

"Cobalt…heh, alright then…I-I guess Tangelo and Masello can join us…" She said quietly, looking in the other direction with her face red.

"Hehe, they really are family aren't they? They have the same reactions!" Maple teased. All of us laughed, except the two cousins.

"Shut up! We do not!" They both shouted simultaneously, only causing us to laugh harder.

"Aah, to be young again…" Mr. Bubbington commented quietly at the bench.

* * *

"Why does he get to be the main hero?!" Tangelo complained, being stuck with as a supporting party member. Auburn has decided that we, Team PokéHeroes, have are traversed the harsh conditions to reach a Mystery Dungeon in the heart of Sugarcane Forest, where the evil Bittercold has stolen the world's last hope, the Sweethot.

"Because only Strom can wield the legendary sword!" Auburn stated with her toy wand in hand. "As in only Cobalt can hold it properly." She pointed at me. Auburn decided that I will play as the main hero, Strom, a Snivy and the wielder of the legendary sword powered by Zekrom. Tangelo wanted to use the sword and be the main hero, but instead he's stuck with using a scarf tied around his foreleg, mimicking the fur on a Mienshao's arm.

"But Au—"

"I'm not Auburn! I am the brave and beautiful Serafine! Master of fire spells with my trusty wand!" Auburn said proudly as she twirled around with her wand. "And you are Siegfried the Mienshao, leader of the legendary Team PokéHeroes!"

"Ugh but I don't want to be Siegfried! Wouldn't it be better if Cobalt was Siegfried? They're both Fighting-types! And weren't Siegfried and Serafine lovers?!" Tangelo continued to complain.

"H-h-how is that relevant?!" Auburn shouted with her face slightly flushed.

"It's totally relevant! Also wasn't Serafine a Delphox?! Maple would be much more suited than y—"

"Ugh just shut up already and play along!" Auburn snarled.

I stood in between then, my eyes closed and a nervous chuckle leaving my mouth. "Eheheh, now, now, there's no need to argue. It's just for fun…" I tried to calm them down.

"Fine, I'll just deal with it…" Tangelo sighed, his head lowered in defeat.

"Good! Whenever you're ready Tea!" Auburn called out to the rest of our friends, who were standing on top of a hill.

"A-a-alright…M-muwaha…ha…T-Team PokéHeroes…p-p-prepare to…d-d-die..." Tea barely managed to say.

"Um, what did she say?" I asked Tangelo, who answered back with a shrug.

"TEA! YOU NEED TO GET INTO CHARACTER! BE LOUDER AND MORE AGGRESSIVE!" Auburn shouted to the top of the hill.

"Tea, come on, you got this!" Mint said trying to encourage her shy friend.

"R-right…m-more aggressive…" The Litwick repeated to herself, her eyes closed as if she was focusing. We stood there in silence, waiting for her to go on.

"Ummm….Tea?"

"Ahem… MUWAHAHAHAHA! FOOLISH TEAM POKÉHEROES! DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME, THE INTELLEGENT MASTERMIND AND BITTERCOLD, LADY MUNAAH? I ALREADY HAVE YOUR PRECIOUS SWEETHOT CAPTURED AND IN MY HANDS! THIS WORLD SHALL BE ENGULFED IN DARKNESS! AHAHAHA!"

We all stood there in silence and awestruck. Not believing our ears, not believing our eyes, not believing what we all just witnessed.

"W-whoa…" Auburn managed to whisper.

"I-is that the same Litwick I know?!" I added, dumbfounded.

"W-we…we will defeat you and rescue our Sweethot, Llana! Strom! Serafine! Are you ready?" Tangelo shouted, snapping Auburn and I from our trance.

"Yes!" Auburn and I said simultaneously, nodding to our Exploration Team's leader.

"Good, then let's go!" Tangelo started charging up the hill.

"Right!" Auburn followed her cousin.

"Understood." I said coolly as I unsheathed my toy sword.

"T- Team PokéHeroes!" Maple shouted with concern, playing as Llana, also a Snivy the world's Sweethot and the opposite of the Bittercold, Lady Munaah the evil and crazy Munna. She was tied up with Mint's jump rope, and Tea stood in front of her, making sure she didn't do anything stupid.

"YOUR EFFORTS ARE FUTILE! GO, TOXIC AND PURRPLE! KILL THEM ALL!" Tea ordered her underlings, Mint and Masello.

"Yes ma'am!" Mint, as Toxic the Toxicroak, replied back as she swiftly made her way towards us.

"But of course!" Masello, as Purrple the Purugly, made his way down as well, just not as swiftly. Whether he was just being in character or he's just that slow, I wasn't sure.

"Remember the plan!" Tangelo shouted, charging onward towards Masello.

"I do believe any sort of plan you have will not work against the great Lady Munaah!" Masello shouted as he jumped and landed right in front of Auburn.

"Serafine!" Tangelo shouted. _He's really getting into this!_

"No problem! Take this, Flamethrower!" Auburn jumped back and twirled her toy wand gracefully.

"I don't think so!" Mint said confidently as she teleport and "punched" Auburn, making Auburn "lose" her focus. _They're all really getting into this! I need to do my part too!_

"Hey, Mint! That's cheating! Toxicroaks can't teleport!" Tangelo shouted.

"Oh! Oops!" Mint shrugged.

"Serafine!" I shouted, "Are you okay?!"

"Aah!" Auburn screamed as she fell on the ground. "I-I'm fine Strom! Don't forget the plan! Go save Llana! Siegfried and I can handle these two!" She shouted back as she got back into her fighting stance.

"Right!" I nodded and made my way up the hill.

"Not so fast!" Mint yelled, heading towards me.

"Stop right there, chap!" Masello, falling out of character, also made his way to me.

I continued to charge, the legendary sword powered by Zekrom himself (in toy form) in hand. "Out of my way!" I sliced and slashed the air in front of me, causing them to flinch back.

"Aah!" Mint jumped back.

"W-whoa!" Masello fell back on his side. Lava started pour out from his hump, just like last time.

"PFFFFT!" Auburn put her paws over her mouth to contain her laughter.

"Hahaha…! AHEM! Masello!" Tangelo stood there, also trying to fight back his laughter, "A…a..again?! Hahaha!"

"Sh-shut up!" Masello slowly got back up. "I-I-I…I, PURRPLE THE PURUGLY WILL KILL YOU ALL!" He shouted with his face red from anger and embarrassment. "TAKE THIS!" He started charging after the pair of laughing cousins.

"A-ah!" Auburn put her forelegs up to defend.

"Y-you will not be hurting Serafine!" Tangelo swiftly got up and bravely protected his cousin, taking Masello's "devastating" Tackle. "G-GAH!" Tangelo shouted "in pain."

"S-Siegfried!" Auburn and I yelled at the same time.

"You better watch what's going on around you…" A voice quietly came from behind me.

"STROM!" Maple shouted.

"Wha—AAH!" I turned around and jumped back just in time from a "deadly" Shadow Ball from Tea.

"Hmph! Not bad! But there's more where that came from! Now, DIE!" Tea shouted as she "charged" another Shadow Ball and "shot" it at me.

"W-whoa!" I swiftly rolled to the side and dodge. I ran around the hill as Tea continued her barrage of Shadow Balls, each one "barely" getting me.

"MUAHAHAHA! JUST GIVE UP AND DIE FOR ME!"

"Ungh, this isn't working! I can't just keep dodging!" I cursed under my breath. "…Huh?!" I gasped as I looked behind Tea. Everyone was busy fighting; nobody seemed to notice Maple loosen the rope and make her grand escape!

"SAY YOUR PRAYERS, BECAUSE YOU DIE N—AAH?!" Tea stumbled onto the ground.

"Llana!"

"Strom! Now!" Maple signaled me, holding Tea down on the ground.

"UNHAND ME, YOU FOOL!" Tea struggled to get out of Maple's grip.

"HAAAAAAAAAA!" I shouted, charging straight at the grounded Litwick.

"N-NOOOOOO!" Tea shouted as I charged and "impaled" through her body.

"LADY MUNAAH!" Mint exclaimed.

"FLAMETHROWER!" Auburn skillfully twirled her wand and unleashed a "terrifying stream of flames" onto the unsuspecting Ralts.

"AAAAHHH!" Mint screamed, before falling to the ground. "L-Lady Munaah…"

"Toxic?! L-Lady Munaah?!" Masello panicked.

"Finishing blow! High Jump Kick!" Tangelo leaped into the air and gracefully swiped his foreleg (the scarf) onto Masello.

"HNNGH?!" Masello collapsed onto the ground. "A-ah…I…I will be with you soon…my chaps…" He said quietly before breathing his final breath.

"We…we did it…" I said slowly, staring at my friends, "dead" on the ground.

"Stroooooooommmm!"

"Huh?" I turned around, "Waah!" I was tackled on the ground by both Auburn and Tangelo. Auburn gripped me into a tight hug, while Tangelo just got on top of the pile.

"We did it! We did it!" Auburn kept repeating over and over.

"Strom that was awesome!"

"T-thanks guys, b-but I can't b-breathe…" I feel like I've said that so many times ever since I've met Auburn…

"Oh! Sorry, hehe." The cousins said together.

Maple slowly approached us with a smile, "Thank you, Team PokéHeroes, for saving me. Now that the Bittercold has been defeated, this world has been saved. We can all live peacefully." Maple said slowly in a strange, royal accent, different from Masello's.

"Yaaaaaaaaaay! The world is saved! Go us!" Auburn celebrated, jumping around happily. The three of us laughed at her energetic celebration.

"Umm…" We looked to see where that came from. It was Masello, slowly getting back up. "Are we done? Can we get up now?"

"Yeah we're done… for now!" Auburn giggled.

"Whew, good! Because I am STARVING! Role-playing sure does build up an appetite! Daaaad! I'm hungrrrryyyy! You didn't eat all the biscuits did yoooou?!" Masello ran down the hill and to the bench where Mr. Bubbington was watching us. Mint and Tea also got up joined us, all of us laughing at silly glutton Masello.

"Haha, well that was fun! Right Tea?" Mint laughed.

"OHMIGOSH, TEA! THAT WAS AMAZING! I DIDN'T KNOW YOU HAD IT IN YOU!" Auburn ran up and got all close into Tea's face.

"I was quite shocked as well. That was quite the performance!" I added, with Tangelo and Maple agreeing with me.

"Y-y-y-y-y-yeeeaaahhh…" Tea's face instantly became bright red and she zipped right past Auburn to hide behind Mint.

"Ahaha, Tea can really get into things. It's been forever since I saw her do it though!" Mint laughed, rubbing the back of her head.

"M-Mint…" Tea whispered, shoving her face onto Mint's back.

The five of us stood there, laughing and having a good time. Eventually even Tea joined us in laughing and soon nothing but laughter could be heard on the hill. I even noticed Auburn and Tangelo stop and look at each. They stopped laughing for a second, but then they both smiled and continued to laugh. It was great seeing then get along! Maybe they will be friends again and the arguing will stop!

"Tangelo, is that you?" An unknown voice, barely audible from my friends' laughter, came from behind us. The girls and I stopped laughing to look who said that, but Tangelo's eyes widen and he just stood there in place, frozen, as if he was scared for his life.

"Garnet!" Auburn shouts, pointing at the Torchic with a confused and yet disgusted look on his face. Next to him was an equally confused but not as disgusted looking Cyndaquil. "And Jon!"

"Oh, the Pokémon in our class that all the boys think are cool?" I asked.

"That's right! I'm the most popular in class you transfer student!" Garnet said rather proudly.

"T-transfer student?" I said, rather dumbfounded. _Is he insulting me?_

"And I am his best friend, Jonquil, though you can call me Jon." The Cyndaquil introduced himself. "It's nice to finally meet you Cobalt."

"R-right…same here…" _Well at least Jon is much nicer than this so-called most popular kid…_

"Tangelo, what are you doing playing with these _girls?!_" Garnet shouted rudely.

"I-I…" stood there, still not facing Garnet.

"He is playing with his dear cousin and his other chaps!" Masello said, seemingly coming out of nowhere. Which would've looked pretty cool if he didn't have crumbs on his face…

"Masello!" Tangelo finally snapped out and turned around. Masello smiled at his best friend and nodded.

"Is there a problem with that Garnet?" Masello defended.

"Um, yeah? Duh! He's playing with a bunch of girls!"

"Um...I'm not a girl…" I said quietly while raising my hand nervously.

"Pfft, you pretty much are! You refuse to hang with us, instead playing with those four stupid girls!" Garnet spat out.

"Hey, don't talk to Cobalt like that!" Auburn said angrily, stomping towards the rude Torchic.

"You stay out of this! You may be royalty, but you're still a stupid girl!" Garnet shouted.

"H-hey now Garnet, she's the princess!" Jon whispered as he nudged his friend.

"It's whatever! Besides, she wants us to treat her like a normal kid right? So I'm gonna treat her like a normal stupid girl!"

"HEY!" Someone shouted rather loudly. We all turned are heads to see that the source came from Tangelo, and he looked rather angry…

Tangelo quickly walked up to Garnet's face, standing in front of Auburn, as if he was protecting her. "This so-called 'stupid girl' is my cousin, my friend, and your _princess! _I don't appreciate you talking to _HER HIGHNESS_ in that tone, so why don't YOU get out of here and play with your boring club of elitist boys doing whatever lame stuff you had us do, while I continue to have fun with my _real friends!_"

We all stood there in awe, speechless at Tangelo's admirable actions. Even Garnet and Jon stood there, eyes wide, dumbfounded, and jaws dropped.

"T-Tangelo…" Auburn whispered. Her eyes became glossy and she looked like she wanted to cry.

"W-w-whatever! Let's get out of her Jon!" Garnet, obviously flustered and upset, quickly turned around stomped out of here.

"R-right..." Jon answered back. He turned around to follow Garnet, but stood there and paused, turning her head back at us. "That was really cool Tangelo! And Princess, sorry for Garnet's rude behavior. I know the girls aren't really stupid, but Garnet's my friend, so what can you do?" He shrugged and ran after his infuriated friend.

We continued to stand there silently, still amazed at Tangelo for defending. Auburn, however, started shivering, tears pouring down her face.

"T-Tangelo!" Auburn cried and jumped on her cousin, hugging him tightly. _Glad I'm not the only one she does that to. _ I mentally giggled.

"A-Auburn! Are you…crying?"

"Tangelo, I'm so sorry! _*sniff* _I'm so, so, SO sorry for treating you like crap!" Auburn cried, her voice muffled due to her shoving her face onto Tangelo.

"A-Auburn I…no," Tangelo started to cry as well, "I-I'm _*sniff* _s-sorry… It's all my fault! I'm s-sorry! I'm the one that stopped playing with you! I'm the one that ignored you! I'm the one that called you stupid! I'm the one that started all the arguments! I'm s-sorry!"

"N-no it's my fault! _*sniff*_ I-I didn't try talking to you. I-I was too stubborn, so I argued back, but truthfully I just w-wanted my cousin back! I wanted to go back to how it was before but I-I…!"

The two cousins shared a rather emotional and happy reunion. Mint started to cry as well, holding on to Tea who also looked like she was going to cry. Maple stood there with a grin on her face; happy to see them finally back to how they were. Masello, however, joined the crying cousins in their hug, his eyes like faucets.

"O-oh _*sniff*_ I am SO delighted to see the true Tangelo!" Masello cried, hugging his best friend.

"M-Masello! I-I can barely breathe with you hugging me too!"

The other girls and I laughed, witnessing their joyful display of friendship. "Haha…isn't this great Cobalt? We did it!" Maple said, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Waaah! I-I'm s-so happy to see Auburn like this! _*sniff*_" Mint continued to cry.

"Yeah…we really did it! Haha, I'm so happy!" I shouted with tears in my eyes. A smiled creeped onto my face as I stood there among my six friends.

_At last, we're all friends now! I've made quite the assortment of friends since I came here… _I smiled and looked up at the clear blue, sky with the sun shining brightly. Tears began to slowly roll down my cheeks. _Plum, I hope you're watching over this. It's great with more friends! …I just wish you were here too._

* * *

Whew, finally done! A lot happened here. I hope you enjoyed Cobalt and Co.'s little RPing. I had fun writing it haha. SO MANY REFERENCES! I also tried to add some shippy moments. A few people have PM'd me asking when the romance was going to start, but that won't be for a while. SO INSTEAD HAVE SOME SUBTLE SHIPPY MOMENTS!

Oh, and Bubbington is also OC from Starry's Light. Thanks Starry! And Garnet...I admit I made his name similar to Ruby from Shadow Snivy's "Thunder and Ice." Teehee! GARNET IS A JERK JUST LIKE RUBYYYYYY!

See you in another two weeks-ish and like always, thanks for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

**I am so late. I'm sorry. School was killing me the past few weeks, but I'm finally able to relax a bit and write this chapter!**

**I'm trying something new and making the Author's Notes bold now...notthatanyonewascomplaingaboutitbutithinkitsbetterthisway**

**BUT WAIT THAT'S NOT THE ONLY THING THAT'S NEW! I'm gonna try to switch up the POV more. So far all we had was Auburn's mini-POV in the like...I think chapter 3 lol. BUT NOW THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER IS IN HER POV! I'll try doing multiple POVs in the future...maybe lol.**

**I wanted to write more but I'm already super later and I think 6k words is good enoug lol.**

**OH ONE MORE THING. Yesterday (10/3) was shadowstriker55's birthday and I tried my best to get this out on time, but failed. BUT IT'S ONLY A DAY LATE SO GOOD ENOUGH! Happy birthday bud, thanks for being such a great supporter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

_Life has been so much more exciting lately. I've made up with Tangelo, became closer to Maple, Masello and even Tea, and even got to play in the park with Mint! Mint almost never plays with me. Sure, we've done a few things every once and awhile, but yesterday was the probably the biggest thing I've ever done with her. Yesterday was so much fun at the park! I really have Cobalt to thank for all of this. These past few weeks have been the most fun I've had in a long time. Usually I'm stuck in my room or in the forest by myself, and… it gets pretty lonely… But ever since that fateful day I went to play in the forest I feel like my life has changed. I've made so many new friends because of him. And yet, here I am, lying on the fountain and staring at the clear, spring sky, bored out of my mind…_

"Auburn?"

"Whaa?" I reply lazily. I turned my face away from the sky to see Mom standing in front of me.

"What are you doing lazing around the garden?"

"Lazing around the garden, duh." I replied sassily.

"Oh really now? I couldn't tell." Mom sighed, replying in a just as sassy tone as me. "Why don't you go play with your new friends or something? It's a beautiful spring day! It'd be such a waste to just sit around and do nothing!"

"I would but…" I tapped my paws together nervously.

"But you're too shy to go see Maple, Masello or Tea by yourself, Mint probably can't play, your cousin Tangelo is working at the restaurant, and you feel like you've been bothering Cobalt too much right?"

"W-what the?! How'd you do that?!" I gasped and jumped off the fountain.

Mom replied with an amused expression and giggle. "A mother has her ways! "Anyway, I'm going to go for a stroll around the city, maybe visit a certain hospital on the way." She winked. "Would you like to join?"

My ears perked when she said "hospital" and I suddenly felt excited. "Well, I suppose it would be rude to deny an offer from the Queen herself, so I shall join you." I replied haughtily with my chest puffed up.

"Oh hush you!" Mom scolded playfully. I laughed at our silliness and together we made our out of the castle ground and into the city.

I always enjoyed joining Mom in her little strolls through the city. When Cobalt was still hospitalized, my strolls with her were always cut short, as I would end up staying at Cream's hospital when we reached there. The route was also modified so that Cream's hospital would be the first place we stopped by, so I guess I never actually strolled through the city since Cobalt came here.

"Say, why don't we head to Royal Diner and bring some snacks to the hospital?" Mom suggested.

"Ooh! Ooooh! Yes! I agree!" I replied excitedly. I love all the food at Uncle's restaurant, but now I have another reason to go there…

"Hmmm? You sound more excited than usual. Perhaps there's a certain someone you want to see?" Mom teased, her eyes half-closed, giving her a mischievous expression.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" I looked away, trying to avoid her eyes that pierce right through my lies.

As we begin to enter the shopping district, we are immediately bombarded by many different Pokémon wanting to greet their queen and princess. The crowds are a lot worse when Mom is around compared to just me, but Mom doesn't seem to mind. Mom greets each and every one of her people with a warm smile, her love for her people radiating through her humble expression. _How does she do it? Doesn't it get annoying? _I mentally sighed.

After dealing with the first wave of Pokémon, we're able to make some progress towards Royal Diner. I take the chance to let my thoughts out to Mom before another big crowd shows up.

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"How do deal with all those Pokémon every time you go for a stroll? Doesn't it get annoying?"

"Haha, I suppose when Cream says you're my spitting image she really does mean it…" She laughed.

I tilted my head in confusion in response to her not answering my question. "What do you mean?"

"You see, I was just like you when I was a child. Whenever I took a stroll with your grandmother, I would get annoyed by the crowds and constant greeters. But my mother would always greet each of them happily. She told me it was because it made her people happy. It made the kingdom happy, which in return made her happy. At first I thought that sounded like a pain, but as I got older, I started to understand. It's important to keep each Pokémon happy and to form a friendly bond with them." Mom smiled, but behind that smile I could sense a bit of sadness. My grandparents passed away shortly after I was born, so I never knew them. Whenever Mom talks about them, I could tell it hurt her, so I try to avoid bringing them up.

"I… guess that makes sense… It sounds super annoying though. They always get up on my personal space and are so pushy!"

"Hah, they don't get THAT close! You'll get used to it."

"If you say so." I shrugged.

We continued on our way to the restaurant, the crowds trying to get our attention seemingly increased the closer we got to Royal Dinner. Mom continued to greet everyone happily, while I started to get annoyed by all the attention. _You'd think I'd get used to it by now…_

Eventually Royal Diner was finally in view, and I picked up my pace in an attempt that everyone would get the hint that I didn't want to greet them anymore. I could've sworn I hear Mom sigh at me trying to get away, but I didn't care; I just wanted to get to the restaurant already! When I made it I hastily open the door and quickly made my way inside. The first thing I noticed was how strangely empty and quiet it was, with maybe only one or two customers inside.

"Welcome! Oh if it isn't my favorite niece!" A female voice greets me. I turn to see Tangelo's mom, Aunt Nina holding a tray of dishes. Aunt Nina is an Arcanine, just like Dad and Uncle Arc.

"More like your only niece!" I laughed. "Aunt Nina! Where is everyone?"

"You just missed them. The lunch rush just ended." Aunt Nina replied as she placed down the tray, "What brings you here today? Are you by yourself?"

"No Mom is with me, but she's dealing with the usual greeters."

Soon the door opened and Mom entered the restaurant, not looking one bit annoyed from everyone bother her. "Oh my, it's quite dead in here isn't it?"

"Ah, hello Arylide!" Aunt Nina waved to Mom happily. "You just missed the lunch rush. If you were here 10 minutes earlier you'd take those words back!"

"Hello Nina. My, is that why there were so many Pokémon outside? Because the lunch rush just ended? I swear I thought the greeting was never going to stop!" Mom laughed.

"Hah, being royalty must be tough!" Aunt Nina laughed. "So how can I help you two?" Aunt Nina lowered her head so we were both at the same eye level. "Are you here to see Tangelo? He told me you are on good terms with him again, thank goodness."

"N-No! We came here to buy some snacks!" I answered defensively, my face slightly flushed red.

"Aw, so you aren't here to see me?" A voice comes from behind me.

"Ah!" I jumped and turned around to see a Growlithe with a cheeky grin. "Tangelo!"

"Hey, what's up?" Tangelo answered in a friendly tone.

"N-Nothing! We're just here to place an order! Where's Uncle Arc?"

"He's in the kitchen working. I only came out because Mom was taking so long to bring the dishes in!"

"Oh! Oops! Sorry son!" Aunt Nina apologized.

"It's okay Mom! Cause now I got to see Auburn and Aunt Arylide!" Tangelo replied to his mom. Tangelo then brought his attention back to me, his expression changed to a frown. "I would've been sad if I found out my only cousin was here and didn't bother to see me…"

"H-Huh?!" I gasped and my face was now completely red. I suddenly felt extremely embarrassed but also a little guilty.

"Pfft! Haha! Just kidding!" The Growlithe's face was back to that cheeky grin he had earlier.

"What?! Ugh, Tangelo you're such a jerk!" I pouted.

"Awwww, look at them! I haven't seen them get along like this in a long time!" Aunt Nina said happily before rushing to us and giving us a tight hug.

"M-Mooooom! You're embarrassing me!"

"Aunt N-Nina! Not so tight…!" _Is this how tight I hug?!_

"Whoops, sorry!" Aunt Nina broke her hug and placed us back down. "I'm just so glad to see you both getting along again."

"I agree. You shouldn't be fighting with your family." Mom added.

"Yeah…" I answered quietly, while Tangelo laughed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"So! What will you guys be ordering?" Aunt Nina asked, bringing us back to the reason we were here.

"Oh, right! Hmm, probably just something light, but something we can share. How about the appetizer platter? Yes, that should work." Mom nodded.

"Ooh! Who are you sharing it with?" Tangelo asked excitedly.

"We're gonna go to Cream's hospital!" I said proudly.

"Aw you're gonna visit Cobalt?!" Tangelo exclaimed in an envious tone. "Lucky! I wish I could go…" Tangelo sighed as he grabbed the tray of dirty dishes that Aunt Nina was originally holding, "So much work to do though…" he slowly made his way back to the kitchen with his head down.

"I know what you're trying to do." Aunt Nina said bluntly.

Tangelo stopped and turned around, grinning at his mom. "Is it working?"

"No. You have work to do!" Aunt Nina ordered.

Tangelo flinched and his grin vanished instantly as he slowly nodded and turned back towards the kitchen. "Y-Yes Mom…" He looked like he was almost about to cry. Seeing him like that made me feel so…heartbroken.

"A little harsh, don't you think Nina?" Mom commented. I couldn't agree more with Mom as I nodded vigorously.

"Yeah c'mon Aunt Nina! I just made up with Tangelo too!"

"Oh, so you did want to see him then?" Aunt Nina grinned.

"Err…I…umm…" I shifted my paws around nervously. "F-Fine I admit it, I also wanted to see Tangelo and I secretly was hoping he could come along!" I shouted, my face completely red in embarrassment.

"That's what I wanted to hear!" Aunt Nina said enthusiastically. "Tangelo!" She shouted towards the kitchen door.

The door slowly opened and Tangelo poked his head out. "Y-Yeah?"

"Come on, I was just messing with you and your cousin! You can join them if you want."

"Really?!" His ears perked before he made a straight dash back to us. "I can go too?!"

"Yes you can go for a couple of hours I suppose. Try to be back by dinnertime though. Someone's gotta do the dishes!"

"Yes! I'll go back to the kitchen and help Dad make the appetizer plate! Be back in a jiffy!" Tangelo turned around and made another mad dash back to the kitchen.

"Geeze, what is it with you all teasing and messing with us all the time?" I sighed. "Ah, whatever, I'm just glad Tangelo's going too! Oooh! I wonder if Cobalt will be able to play!" I start to jump up and down excitedly.

"I've never seen little Auburn so excited! It's also been a long time since I've seen Tangelo so happy." Aunt Nina commented, making small talk with Mom.

"She's definitely been a lot happier lately. I believe we have Cobalt to thank for that. He's been quite the influence on Auburn, and I'm sure she has been just as influence on him." Mom smiled.

Mom and I sat in the waiting area while Aunt Nina went back to work, helping the few customers that were still dining in. Eventually Aunt Nina came out of the kitchen with our order packed safely, Tangelo by her side looking happy and excited. Mom payed for our order and soon the three of us were on our way to Cream's hospital.

Like always, the flow of never ending Pokémon continued to greet us. I'm sure it's common courtesy to greet royalty if you see them, but when every single Pokémon does it, it gets so tedious. At least it shows that everyone loves their queen, so maybe it isn't so bad. The flow of greetings started to die out as we exited the shopping district and Cream's hospital came into view. When we reached the small and quaint building, we entered inside to see that there was nobody at the reception counter, at the waiting area, or even working the small pharmacy section where you can purchase different medical products. However, this was actually normal since Cream usually works in her office in the back.

"I'll be out there in a second!" A voice yelled out from beyond the counter.

"Man, it's been awhile since I was last in here." Tangelo commented as he looked around the merchandise for sale. "These shelves are always full; does anyone ever even buy any of this stuff?"

"I dunno," I shrugged, "They're probably cheaper at Flaymart so nobody probably buys them here."

"How rude! People buy them!" Cream said defensively from behind the counter. "Sometimes…" she added in a quiet and unconvincing tone.

"Hi Cream!" I said happily.

"Hello, Cream." Tangelo said politely.

"Hello, Cream." Mom greeted her best friend. "We brought some light snacks. Would you and Cobalt like to join us?"

"Ah, Arylide, Auburn, hello. And even Tangelo! It's been awhile since I saw you here." Cream greeted back and walked up towards us. "I'd love to join you, thanks!" She thanked Mom and turned her attention to me and Tangelo. "Are you two here to play with Cobalt? He's actually out in the backyard training. He said that he hasn't trained at all since he had to… you-know-what. Why don't you go get him while I go prepare some drinks upstairs?"

"Oh he's training huh? I wonder what he's doing! Let's go Tangelo!" I ran outside with Tangelo right behind me. "Let's approach the back slowly and maybe try to scare him or something." I giggled mischievously.

"Heh, sure." Tangelo nodded.

The two of us carefully walked to the back of the hospital, hugging the wall and trying to be as sneaky as possible. We could start to hear grunts coming from the back, and they only became louder and louder as we got closer. Soon we reached the end of the wall, and Tangelo and I poked our heads to see what Cobalt was doing.

"Ooh, what is he doing?" Tangelo asked.

"He looks like he's just punching the air…" I whispered.

Cobalt had his back at us, facing the forest that stands behind Cream's hospital. That forest is actually part of the forest I was in where I found the unconscious Riolu many weeks ago. He punched the air, grunting out a loud "Ha!" as he alternated arms. It didn't look like much work, but Cobalt looked completely focused and his body was covered in sweat.

"Let's go while he's focused on punching." I suggested quietly. Tangelo nodded and we tip-toed as quietly as possible towards Cobalt. It didn't take long and soon Cobalt was within poking range. I reached out my foreleg and tried poking him before he could notice us. Just as my paw almost reached his back, Cobalt suddenly turned around and threw a punch at us.

"Who's there?!" He shouted angrily.

"A-AH!" I screamed as I fell back, Cobalt's punch barely missing me.

My shriek and sudden falling also caused Tangelo to yell, especially since I fell on him. "W-Whoa!"

"Huh?!" Cobalt gasped. His eyes widened and he quickly came to our side. "A-Auburn?! And Tangelo?!" Cobalt offered both of his hands and helped the two of us back up. "Are you guys okay?! I didn't hurt you did I?! Oh no, I'm so, so, so, SO SORRY!" He bowed continuously.

"N-No I'm fine…" I answered quietly.

"I'm okay… I think." Tangelo said as he rubbed his side where I fell on him. "Yeah I'm good."

"Oh thank goodness." Cobalt sighed and stopped bowing. "Again, I'm really sorry! I was just so focused on training and then I felt a presence all of the sudden and—"

"No!" I cut him off, "No it's not your fault! I'm the one that tried sneaking up on you. It's my fault, I'm sorry." I said with my head lowered. I felt really bad for breaking his focus like that. That punch would've hurt pretty bad and I just know Cobalt would never forgive himself if he punched me by accident.

"N-No! It's all my fault! I shouldn't have thrown that punch. I don't even know why I threw a punch… When Plum used to sneak up on me while I trained I would either fall for her tricks or notice her without freaking out like that…" Cobalt stood there with his hand under his chin, thinking about why he reacted differently. I feel like it might've been an automatic defensive reaction because what he went through, but I decided to keep that to myself, not wanting to bring up his past like that.

Tangelo sighed, probably getting annoyed at our disagreements. "How about we just say it was all of our faults and just forgive each other and make sure it never happens again?"

"Uh, sure, sounds good to me." I agreed and nodded.

"A-Alright then, if you say so…" Cobalt also agreed, but it was obvious he still thinks it was completely his fault. Cobalt's just that kind of Pokémon I guess. _Cobalt… he's such a nice guy._ "Anyway, what brings you two here?"

"Oh, right! Mom bought some snacks from Royal Diner, which is why Tangelo is also here! Cream wanted us to tell you she preparing drinks upstairs so we can all enjoy it together!"

"Oh, perfect! I was starting to get hungry again. I must've worked off my lunch, hehe!" Cobalt giggled happily. I couldn't help but smile with him. _He's so much happier compared to when I first met him… _

Cobalt then took a quick look at himself and gave a disgusted look. "Ew, I'm kind of sweaty though and I probably stink now…umm…maybe I'll take a quick shower. I'm going to go ahead upstairs and do that. See you in a bit!" Cobalt ran off and head back to the entrance.

"Heh, he really is considerate isn't he? He's definitely different from the other guys." Tangelo said with a grin.

"Especially compared to that jerk Garnet! Ugh what is up with that kid?"

"You don't understand how cool his party was!" Tangelo retorted defensively. "But you are right, he is a jerk. Jon is pretty nice though. I wonder why he sticks around Garnet. I feel like he and Cobalt would make great friends."

I shrugged, "Who knows?"

Tangelo and I left the backyard and made our way back inside. It looks like Mom and Cream went upstairs since the first floor was empty, so we went ahead and walked behind the counter and took the stairs to the second floor where Cream and Cobalt lived. Mom and Cream were sitting at the dining table, the appetizer platter presented nicely across the table with a pitcher of juice for us while the two adults had a pot of tea. They greeted us before going back to their conversation. Water could be heard running from the bathroom door across the room.

It wasn't long before the running water stopped and a mostly dry Riolu stepped out. Soon all five of us sat around the dining table, and we began to dig in. The appetizer plater consisted of several different snacks, from bite-size sandwiches, a variety of berries and veggies, different cheeses with crackers, and other delicious finger foods. qIt was nice just spending time with all of them, although I wish my other friends were here too. Also I wish Dad was too, but he's busy doing king stuff at the castle. It's actually rare for both Mom and Dad to be out in the city at the same time unless it's some event or important business.

"Can you believe it's going to be April in a few days? Time sure flies by." Mom mentioned as she bit into a berry, carrying on the small talk between the five of us.

"Doesn't it? March is always a busy month, it being the Queen's birth month and all." Cream grinned while Mom chuckled. Our birthdays result in big parties in the castle, with important Pokémon from all over the nation being invited to the castle. Their parties tend to be boring as there are almost never any kids for me to play with. Mom's birthday happened while Cobalt was still hospitalized, so Cream wasn't there for too long this year.

"Oh, your birthday was this month Ms. Arylide?" Cobalt asked.

"Yes it was on the 9th, I believe you were still unconscious at the time. Auburn found you a week before that."

"Oh, I see. Happy belated birthday!" Cobalt cheered, causing us to all chuckle happily with Mom giving off a gentle and kind smile as she thanked him. "My birthday is also on a 9th. April 9th to be exact... Oh, that's in less than two weeks isn't it?" _Wait what?!_

Cream nodded, "That's right! You're going to be 9 years old soon! How exciting!" Cream smiled with her hands together.

"Wait, hold on. Cobalt your birthday is in two weeks?! Why didn't you say anything?!" I shouted.

"Yeah that's big news you should be sharing with your friends!" Tangelo added.

"Oh, umm… because no one asked?" Cobalt tilted his head. "Besides, I'm telling you now! So… there you go." He shrugged.

"Err, fair enough I guess." I admitted.

"So what are you gonna do Cobalt? Are you gonna have a party?" Tangelo asked enthusiastically.

"Umm… I don't know… In the past we would go eat out at Miner's Inn and then Mother would bake a cake…"

"Ooh! A party sounds like tons of fun! And then we can invite the whole class and then Cobalt will be the next Garnet!" I suggested. It sounded like the perfect plan to get Cobalt become friends with everyone!

"T-The whole class?! N-No way!" Cobalt completely rejected my idea. "Even if it was just our group of friends, that's still seven kids! Where would I have this party? It isn't very spacious in here, and I feel like a hospital isn't a very appropriate place for a birthday party."

"Cobalt is right, maybe if it was just two or three of you I'd allow it. But seven kids is out of the question." Cream stated with her arms crossed. "But we could throw it somewhere else. Why not Homura Family Park? They have gazebos for parties, and it's completely spacious!"

"That's a wonderful idea," Mom agreed, "Many parties happen there, and it's perfect for children with the playgrounds and space."

"Then it's settled! Cobalt's birthday party will be at Homura Family Park! Oooh, and then Uncle can provide the food! Oh this is gonna be great!" I rambled on, getting more and more excited for Cobalt's birthday.

"Hey now, slow down Auburn! This is Cobalt's birthday not yours!" Mom scolded me.

"Yeah you're doing it again Auburn! Making decisions for Cobalt!" Tangelo added.

"B-But it's perfect! You like the idea right Cobalt?" I looked at him straight in his orange-red colored eyes. I must've been glaring daggers at him, because he started to get nervous, but I pretended I didn't notice.

"U-Umm, y-yeah it sounds good… if Cream's okay with it…" Cobalt answered nervously, his eyes shifting left and right.

"Yeah of course I'm okay with it!" Cream smiled.

"Then it's settled! For real this time! Hehe!" I jumped out of my chair out of pure excitement, causing everyone to gasp. "I'm super pumped now! Do you guys wanna go play outside or something? I feel so energized!"

"Where?" Tangelo asked.

"Um… oh! Let's go exploring! I haven't gone exploring in forever! Wanna go to the forest?"

"Yeah that sounds fun! It's been forever since I joined you in exploring the forest!" Tangelo said excitedly.

"T-The forest? The same one you found me in?" Cobalt asked slowly and quietly.

"Yup! I know all the cool spots there! Don't you wanna go exploring?!"

"Well… I guess I can go along. It does sound sort of interesting…" Cobalt said reluctantly. He then got up and pushed his chair in. Tangelo followed his lead and did the same.

"Great! Follow meeeee!" I exclaimed. I don't know why, but I'm in an unusually cheery and hyper mood. Probably from all the excitement of Cobalt's birthday coming up.

"Don't wander off too far!" Cream shouted.

"And be home in time for dinner! Especially you Tangelo! I don't want Nina yelling at me!" Mom reminded us. The three of us nodded and headed out.

The three of us made our way outside and marched towards the forest. I cheerfully led the two to the forest entrance. Technically you could enter the forest from pretty much anywhere, but there's a main path that you can follow which takes you to towns outside Homura City. I also enter the forest from there so I led them to the main path. All the fun stuff is outside the path though, but I never stray too far off. Mom has warned me many times not to go too deep in, but honestly I wish I could. Maybe one day when I'm older…

We finally made it to the entrance, and I continued to lead the way, still following the path. Many trees and bushes surrounded us and the sounds of Pokémon living their everyday lives die out as we get further away from the city. Only the sound of our footsteps on this dirt path could be heard.

"So where are we heading first?" Tangelo breaks the silence between us and the forest.

"Hmm, the closest place is probably the meadow. But that place is kind of boring, especially compared to the castle gardens…" I spoke my thoughts out loud as we kept walking down the path.

"The meadow sounds fine to me. What about you Cobalt?"

"H-Huh? Yeah sure…" _Hm? Is he okay?_

Soon we reached a fork on the road, a sign pointing in two different directions. The one of the right leads to the mountains, with the meadow being on the way, while the other leads to the next town over. "The meadow is on the mountain path. This way also leads to steeper paths and hills; it's where I found you Cobalt."

"O-Oh, I s-see…" Cobalt stuttered. He's been acting sort of weird ever since I suggested going here.

"Is something wrong? You've been acting strange." I decided to let my concerns out.

Cobalt stopped and looked down on the forest floor. "Well, it's just… I never expected to willingly go in the forest again… The only time I entered the forest is when I had to run away…"

"Oh…" I responded, that being the only thing that could slip out my mouth. I suddenly felt really bad and I looked away.

Tangelo, however, was able to say more and look straight at Cobalt. "Does this bring back bad memories?" He asked with concern in his voice.

Cobalt's ears perked and he looked back at us. "O-Oh! N-No, not really but… I don't know, I can't explain it. I guess it's unsettling being in the forest."

I squeezed my eyes shut at hearing that. I then looked back at Cobalt straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry. I should've been more considerate of your feelings. We can go back to the city."

"N-No! Don't apologize!" Cobalt said with his hands up and his head shaking. "You enjoy exploring the forest right? I want to be able to enjoy it too, so let's continue going."

"Cobalt…" I said quietly, speechless at Cobalt's consideration.

"Well, that settles it then!" Tangelo said, clapping his paws together, "Let us be on our way and continue our exploration! To the meadow! Lead the way Auburn!" He grinned at me.

I looked at Tangelo with widened eyes and shook my head to rid of the negative feelings I had before. "Yes sir! Onwaaaaaard!"

"Yeah!" The two of them cheered simultaneously.

We continued on the path for a short while before getting to the point where the path to the meadow strays away from the main path. You could tell where to make the turn by the increase of flowers growing on the grass. After walking for a bit longer and passing through several trees and bushes, the wide meadow of many different varieties of flowers stood before us. There were also a few berry bushes spread out across the field, and seeing that spring has just arrived, now would be the best time to pick and enjoy them!

"Wow! How beautiful!" Cobalt shouted excitedly.

"I forgot how pretty this place was!" Tangelo said as he scanned the meadow.

"Yeah, I guess there's a different charm to it compared to the castle gardens." I shrugged.

"It's definitely got a different feeling to it since the flowers are growing in the wild!" Cobalt observed as he made his way towards the center of the meadow. "It's so peaceful here… I bet I could sleep here…"

"Hah, I've definitely done that before after having a few of these berries to snack on." I chuckled.

"Wait, you have?! Isn't that dangerous? I would assume that this would be a popular place for wild Pokémon to gather food."

"Nah, it's good. We're still pretty close to the city, and wild Pokémon tend to stay away from the urban life." I reassured Cobalt. _Honestly, it probably is pretty dangerous, but I don't do it often! Mom would kill me if she knew I did it though_.

"Aunt Arylide would kill you if she knew you did that…" Tangelo glared at me. _Even he knows Mom's wrath…_

"Ehehe… Yeah don't tell her please!" I bowed down, hoping my friends don't tattle on me.

"My lips are sealed." Tangelo said reassuringly while Cobalt nodded in agreement.

"Thanks guys!" I sighed in relief. I looked around at the bushes to see if the berries were ripe yet and noticed that most of them were already gone. "Huh where did all the berries go?"

"I think there's still some over there." Cobalt pointed to one of the bushes all the way at the other end of the meadow. "Hey, wait a second… what is that black thing over there?"

"Huh?" Tangelo and I said at the same time, trying to see if what Cobalt was talking about.

Tangelo soon gasped once he noticed it. "I-Is that a w-wild Pokémon?!"

"W-What?!" I shouted nervously. I tried focusing to get a better look. Over at the bush was a small looking black Pokémon. Its fur was in a mess as it shifted through the berry bush. There was a backpack on the ground next to it, and it looked like it was collecting berries. "Wait a second, it has a backpack, and I don't think a wild Pokémon would have a backpack."

"I guess so…" Tangelo said unsurely before gasping, "Wait a sec, doesn't that Pokémon look sort of familiar? That's definitely a Poochyena right?"

"Umm, I think it's a Poochyena. Do you two know a Poochyena?" Cobalt asked.

"What?" I said in disbelief before focusing even harder on the small black Pokémon. "Is… is that Aika?!" I shouted, surprised to see her here out of all places.

"Yeah! That's definitely Aika! I think I recognize her backpack." Tangelo agreed.

"Aika? You mean the other Pokémon that sits at your group?"

"Yeah, that's her! She wasn't at school at all this week. Let's go see what she's doing!" The boys nodded and the three of us quickly but quietly walked to the Poochyena. As we got closer to her, I could see that her backpack was overflowing with berries. It looks like Aika beat us to all of them! _How rude, I'm going to make her share those for never showing up to class and taking Cobalt's potential seat!_

"Yes! This should last me a week or two! Maybe now I can go back to school!" The Poochyena said to herself excitedly as she did a fist pump.

"Aika!" I yelled behind her, partly because I was mad that she took all the berries, and partly because I wanted to see her freak out.

"AAAH!" Aika jumped in the air, knocking over her backpack and dropping the berries she was holding.

"PFFFFT!" I tried to contain my laughter. I noticed that Tangelo was doing the same, while Cobalt gave a somewhat disapproval expression.

"What the—Princess! And Tangelo?! And some unknown Riolu?!" Aika turned around and looked shocked. Her expression instantly turned angry when she noticed Tangelo and I laughing. "What was that for?! Ugh you stupid princess!"

"I'm terribly sorry for my friends' rude behavior. Please accept my apologies." Cobalt bowed continuously, the way he does when he feels really bad.

"W-Who are you?!" Aika rudely asked as she collected the berries she dropped.

"Oh right, I'm Cobalt. I'm in your class along with this laughing pair of rude cousins…"

"Ahaha… I…I'm sorry… Ahem!" I cleared my throat once I was able to fully contain my laughter. "You would know we got a new classmate last week if you actually showed up! Why didn't you show up at all last week? Or at all? And why are you hogging all the berries?!"

"W-Whatever Princess! You wouldn't understand! It's none of your business anyway!" Aika said rudely, like always. It was almost impossible to talk to Aika because she would just reply with some sassy remark.

"Hey now, what's with the attitude?" Cobalt asked calmly.

"Hmph!" The Poochyena ignored Cobalt and haughtily looked away with her snout up.

"I'm just trying to be friends here…" Cobalt said sadly, dropping his head and arms down. Aika opened one of her eyes and saw how sad and defeated Cobalt looked and flinched back.

"W-Whatever, i-it's not like I want to be f-f-friends w-with you guys!" Aika's face red from embarrassment. She picked up her overflowing backpack, a few of the berries falling out, and started walking away.

I looked down at the berries she left behind. "You're not gonna pick those up?"

Aika looked back at us, her face even redder. "You can have them. D-Don't get the wrong idea! I-It's not like I wanted to share those with you or anything. M-My backpack is just overflowing!" She grunted, as if she was annoyed, then ran off, away from the meadow.

"What a weirdo… I guess Garnet was right about at least one of the girls…" Tangelo said in a confused tone.

Cobalt walked up to the berries on the ground and picked up three of them. "I…I feel like she's just shy. She had this look in her eyes… like she was hurt or something. It sort of reminded me of myself." Cobalt said calmly as he gave me and Tangelo a berry.

"She reminds you of yourself?" I repeated as I bit into the berry. "What do you mean?"

Cobalt shook his head and gave me a worried look. "I don't know. I can't explain it. In any case, I think we should try to befriend her."

"I agree," Tangelo nodded, "The more the merrier, right Auburn?" He gave me that cheeky grin of his.

"You're right! She said something about being able to go to school again right? So if she shows up tomorrow we should try to invite her to play with us at recess! And Mint and Tea and I will try to talk with her more during class!"

"Sounds good!" Cobalt agreed with my plan.

"Heh, looks like I'm gonna make friends with even more girls!" Tangelo shook his head and shrugged. "Oh well whatever that's fine! Friends are friends!"

_That's right, friends are friends! And I'm gonna keep making more of them! You better watch out Aika, because you're gonna join my circle of friends!_

* * *

**Aika finally appears! She was mentioned like once butnobodyquestioneditlol so now she's finally here. Aika is OC from the waymorepopularthanme Shadow Snivy, author of theextremelygoodandwaaaaymorepopularthanthisstorywilleverbe "Thunder and Ice" Aika's gonna have a big role coming up in the near future so I hope you're looking forward to it!**

**Side note, does anyone know if I'm supposed to be capitalizing Queen and Princess and King and stuff like that? Or at least when I should be capitalizing it? English can be so confusing I'm so glad it's my first language. Learning English must be such a huge pain lol**

**Thanks for reading and see you next time! (wheneverthatislol)**


	12. Chapter 12

**GUESS WHO'S A WEEK LATE AGAIN? MEEEEEEEEEE!**

**BUT GUESS WHO MADE THE CHAPTER LONGER THAN USUAL HOPING THAT IT'LL MAKE UP FOR BEING A WEEK LATE? MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!**

**Yeeeeaaaahhhh... just read the chapter and enjoy :P It has more than one POV in it, and I'll make it clear when the POV changes!**

**OH side note, so I think in the past chapters I've been using "chap" for Masello when he refers to his friends, but I've been mixing that up with "chum." Oops lol. goodthingnobodycalledmeoutonthatKOFF. I'll fix it in the other chapters later...**

**OH AND ONE MORE SIDE NOTE! New cover art! I drew it and it's on my DeviantArt. I have the same username there, so you can check out my drawings if you want. theyrenotthatgoodbutithinktheyreprettydecent**

**Sorry for any typos or grammar errors. STARRYISWEARIPROOFREADTHISKOFF**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon!**

* * *

Auburn's POV

The next day before class started the seven of us all gathered around my table group, with Mint sitting next to me and Tea sitting in front of Mint. Cobalt, Tangelo, and I explained what happened to our other friends.

"What? You guys played in the forest yesterday?" Maple said, completely ignoring the main subject of our conversation. "Aw, I wanted to go too…"

"And you Aika there collecting berries you say? Interesting…" Mint nodded, deep in thought.

"Yup! That's right! She was rude like always! But Cobalt thinks she's just super shy, so we're gonna befriend her!" I explained.

"Befriend her? How are you going to do that if she never shows up?" Maple asked.

"She said something about being able to go to school this week so I think we can do it!" Tangelo said enthusiastically. "She did seem a bit sad and lonely, so I kinda wanna do something!"

"Oh, my good chum would never say something like that about a girl just last week!" Masello cried. He even wiped a tear away! _That Numel can be so overemotional! _I giggled in my head.

Tangelo nudged his best friend with his face slightly red. "M-Masello, shut up!"

"Well I'm down with making friends with her! The more the merrier, right Auburn?" Maple winked at me, catching me off guard.

"Y-Yeah, hehe…"

"But…" Tea said quietly as she looked at the empty seat next to her and in front of me, "I-It doesn't l-look like she's going to s-show up…" The rest of us quietly started at Aika's empty seat, our optimism slowly depleting away.

"There's still some time before school starts. Maybe she's just late?" Cobalt said, trying to cheer us up.

"Even if she does show up, how are you planning on befriending her?" Mint questioned. "Whenever anyone tries to talk to her she just brushes everyone away. And she just sits under a tree and writes in her notebook instead of playing at recess!"

"Did you think of a plan? You said you were going to yesterday." Tangelo reminded me of what I said back in the forest.

"Hmm…" I thought to myself as I placed a paw under my chin. "We'll just have to keep bothering her until she caves in and agrees!" I answered straightforwardly with a smile.

I was slightly expecting everyone to agree and be all like "Wow Auburn that's brilliant!" but instead everyone gave me silent glares and looked at me as if I was stupid.

"W-What?"

"Really?! That's the plan you thought up of?!" Tangelo shouted.

"Well do you have any better ideas?!" I argued back. Tangelo flinched back at my response.

"Err, w-well no, but…"

"Hmph! Just as I thought!" I raised my snout up haughtily.

"I have one!" Maple raised her paw up excitedly, "Maybe Mint can just snap at Aika like how she did to Auburn!" Maple grinned, reminding both Mint and I about that… embarrassing moment.

Masello also raised up his foreleg in agreement with Maple. "Ooh! Ooh! I concur! It was such an unexpected side of Mint we saw that day! Perhaps the shock of it all will make Aika play with us!"

"W-Wha?! I-I...umm…" Mint's composure instantly broke and her face was completely red. "I-I-I…AHEM" She coughed and regained her composure. "No. I refuse," she stated bluntly. _I'd rather not see Mint angry again anyway._

"Look, we'll just try talking to her more and maybe she'll eventually agree! Got that Mint? Tea? She sits with us so we have the best chances at befriending her!"

"Well it's worth a shot I guess... Why not? We can do this Tea!" Mint said optimistically.

"U-Um…I-I'll do m-my best…" Tea stuttered as usual.

"Hehe, that's more like it! I'm sure it'll work out! I'll do my best to be friendly to her too." Cobalt said enthusiastically. The rest of his table group nodded in agreement.

"Haha, thanks guys! This is totally gonna work!" I smiled happily as all my friends agreed to go with this. However our happy moment was cut short as the school bell resounded. As if on signal, the classroom door opened suddenly and Ms. Luna walked into her class.

"Alright everyone, settle down! Class is about to start!" Ms. Luna ordered as she headed to her desk in the front of the class. Soon everyone in class, including my friends, was at their assigned seats. However, there was one empty seat in front of me. _Is she not showing up?_ I thought sadly as my ears drooped down.

"Auburn…" I heard Mint whisper quietly as I lowered my head.

"Let's start with attendance. Hmm, I'll just skip Aika like usual. Hmm, Aub—"

"I'm here." The door suddenly opened and a small, black Pokémon with messy fur walked in. Everyone gasped as their attention was fixated at Aika.

"She made it!" I whispered happily, my ears back up to their original position.

"A-Aika! Y-You're here!" Ms. Luna practically shouted, her expression showing that she was in complete shock. "Where have you been?! It's been almost a month since you were last here!"

Aika quietly glared at Ms. Luna and responded with a quick "Hmph!" before heading to her seat. My full attention was on her the entire time as she sat down, a wide smile stuck on my face. When Aika noticed me, she flinched and jumped up slightly, her face slightly red.

"W-What?!" Aika snarled.

"Nothing!" I giggled, "I'm just glad you're here!"

"H-H-Huh?! W-Whatever, you dumb princess!" She immediately turns her head away from me, only to receive another giggle from me.

"…And it looks like everyone is here today! What a rare treat!" Ms. Luna giggled, "Why don't we start off the day with a little pop quiz? Time for a spelling quiz!" _W-what?!_

Suddenly the room was filled with groans and complaints, the loudest ones coming from Cobalt's table group because of Maple. "Sis, what gives?! You didn't tell me we were having a quiz!" Maple shouted out at our teacher. More shouts resounded as everyone agreed with Maple.

"Yeah, that's not fair!"

"Maple's right!"

"Hey, hey, quiet down everyone! It wouldn't be a pop quiz if I told you ahead a time now would it? And Maple, I _TOLD_ you to call me Ms. Luna!"

"I'll do it if you cancel the quiz!" Maple grinned mischievously.

"What, no! I'm gonna tell Mom if you continue to misbehave!"

"What?! Sis you're so mean! I'm gonna tell Dad you're being mean to your students!" Maple stuck her tongue out.

"Why do you have to be so difficult!? Ugh I knew this would happen if you were in my class too! Why didn't they put you in the other class?!" Ms. Luna shouted, obviously frustrated from Maple's complaining and teasing.

The two of them often have these silly arguments, and usually half the class would just sit there quietly, shocked that their teacher is fighting with one of her students, and the other half would giggle because they know that Maple is just messing with Ms. Luna, me usually being one of those kids.

"Um… Ms. Luna?" Cobalt tried to meekly calm down our frustrated teacher.

"Wha…O-oh!" Ms. Luna finally returned to her senses and a deep red blush flushed her entire face. "Not again…" She sighed in defeat as her sister laughed hysterically. _Is this what it's like to have siblings? I'm glad I'm an only child…_

Once Maple had stopped laughing and Ms. Luna had calmed down completely, we all got a piece of paper out and prepared for our pop spelling quiz. _Crap, I am SO not ready for this! _I started to sweat nervously as Ms. Luna slowly but loudly announced the words we needed to spell. I began to panic and my eyes started to shift around, secretly trying to look at Mint's, Tea's, or even Aika's paper but with no success.

After the quiz was over Ms. Luna instructed us to sit at our desks and do something productive like get a head start on our homework while she quickly graded our quizzes. Of course, the majority of the class didn't do that and instead discussed the quiz. I noticed Aika pull out a notebook and started scribbling in it, while Tea takes the chance to take a nap. _That girl always tries to fit in naps throughout class. I guess sleeping can be kinda fun…_

"So how'd you do Auburn?" Mint asked me intently. "Those were some hard words, but I think I got them all!"

"Well of course you probably got a perfect score! You're like the smartest kid in class. I mean you study for fun! Who does that?" I said with a somewhat bitter tone. But in the corner of my eye, I could've sworn I saw Aika's ears twitch when I said Mint was the smartest kid. Aika also gets pretty good grades, whenever she's here for a quiz that is…

"Ah, well I wouldn't say for fun…" Mint said bashfully.

"Okay everyone, I finished grading! The results…could've been better." Ms. Luna announced in a rather disappointed tone. "There was only one perfect score and it goes to…" I looked at Mint, who has a grin on her face. _Oh what a surprise, Mint got the perfect sco— _"Aika! Good job!"

"Oh, Mint you didn't get the perfect score! Haha what a surprise huh?" I teased.

"Ah—" Mint muttered as her jaw dropped on the ground.

"Aika's the only one that was able to spell 'indubitably' correctly!"

"What kind of word is that anyway Sis?! We're only in 3rd grade!" Maple shouted angrily, though if she's really angry or not is a mystery to me.

"A word that I wanted to see if anyone was most indubitably able to spell correctly. Mmhmm!" Ms. Luna flipped the fur that sticks out of her ears sassily, obviously taunting back at her sister. "Anyway," Ms. Luna turned around and looked at me. The papers are always in alphabetical order so I would be next. "Here you go Auburn. Like always, you fail!" _…I really wish she wouldn't do that to me._

I looked down at the paper that sits in front of me and see a big "3/10" with red marks everywhere. "Ah—" I muttered as my jaw dropped on the ground. "Crap Mom's gonna be so mad!"

"Maybe that'll motivate you to do better next time. Honestly, I would expect our princess to earn better grades." Ms. Luna scolded as she walked passed out the rest of the quizzes.

"A-Ah… 'indubitably' was the only word I got wrong…" Mint sighed, but then looked up intently at Aika. Aika noticed and flinched back.

"W-What do you want?" Aika asked nervously as she closed her notebook.

"Aika! How did you get a better score than me?! How are you so smart if you don't even go to school half the time?!"

"H-Huh?!" Aika said loudly as her face turned red. "I-It's not like I g-get g-g-good grades or…a-anything…"

"What?! You always get really high scores!" I argued.

"T-that's because I'm not stupid like you! G-Geeze, you stupid princess!" Aika spat as she opened her notebook and went back to scribbling.

"How rude!" I shut my eyes tight angrily and turned my head away.

"Now, now…" Mint said quietly with her hands up, "Let's not argue…"

"Y-Yeah…" Tea actually spoke up, causing my eyes to widen slightly, "We should be f-friends…" Tea managed to say as she leaned towards Aika, who was still busying writing something in her notebook. "W-What are y-y-you writing? It looks like a s-story or a p-poem…I like to write poems t-too…"

"Tea…!" Mint and I said simultaneously, surprised at Tea actually making an effort. "I thought she kept that hobby a secret?" I asked Mint, while she responded with a shrug.

"Ah! N-N-Nooooo! D-Don't loooook!" Aika practically screamed as she quickly closed her notebook and tried to hide it with her body as she leaned over it. She looked like she was about to start crying. _Man, how shy can someone be?!_

Tea practically jumped out of her seat at Aika's sudden screaming. "S-Sorry…"

"N-No…I…" Aika mumbled under her breath, "_noimsorryistartledyou_."

"H-Huh? I-I couldn't hear y-you…" Tea said with a confused expression.

"Did…did Aika just apologize?" Mint said, dumbfounded.

"What?! N-No! D-Don't get the wrong idea! G-Geeze!" Aika's face was once again completely flushed with red.

"Ahaha, you sure do get embarrassed easily. But you can be kind and friendly! Say, why don't you come join us during lunch and recess?" I decided to take the chance and ask. _C'mon say yes! I know you want tooooooooo!_

I didn't even think it was possible, but Aika's entire face somehow became ever redder than it already was. "W-W-W-What?! N-No! What makes you think I want to be friends with you?! You stupid princess! Hmph!"

"Ah…!" I gasped and then lowered my head in defeat.

"Re-jec-tion." Mint said playfully.

"S-Shut up, Mint."

"Ahaha…"

* * *

Tangelo's POV

"Ah, there she is!" My cousin Auburn pointed at the lone Poochyena sitting at the lunch table in the back corner all by herself. "C'mon guys, if she doesn't want to sit with us, then we'll sit with her!"

"Umm, aren't you being a bit _too_ forceful with this Auburn?" Mint said with worry in her voice.

"Nah, we gotta be aggressive if she keeps refusing!" She shook her head and started heading to the back of the room.

"Come on Mint, let's just go along with Auburn. At the very least, this is kinda fun!" Maple patted Mint on the back to cheer her up. Mint smiled back at her and the rest of us went after Auburn.

"Hi Aika!" Auburn greeted cheerfully to the small Poochyena with messy fur. The rest of us gave Aika similar greetings and joined her at her table.

Aika raised her head from that notebook she always has. "W-What are you all doing here?!" Her face slightly red.

"Why, joining you for lunch of course!" Masello said in his foreign accent.

"I've always wanted to get to know you better, so what better way than joining you at the lunch table?" Auburn said kindly, a warm and gentle smile radiated from her face.

Aika's eyes widened and her face instantly became a bright red. "W-Whatever, do what you want…" She lowered her head and went back to her scribbling in her notebook. I noticed that besides that notebook the only other thing she had was a single berry. She didn't seem to have an actual lunch.

"Uh, Aika?" I asked nervously.

"What do you want?" She replied back, rudely as ever.

"Is that all you're eating?" Cobalt asked. He seemed to have also noticed that Aika was only eating a single berry for lunch. Cobalt's a pretty smart guy. He and Mint were the only ones in class that got only "indubitably" wrong on that stupid pop quiz, earning a 9/10, while Auburn and I both got the one of the lowest scores in class.

"Yes, is that a problem?"

"What?! Just a lone berry?! How do you _survive_?!" Masello practically screamed. Aika however seemed to flinched when Masello said that. Maybe he shocked her with his random outburst, or something. Either way, she looked very upset... I decided to do something I almost never do. _Desperate times call for desperate measurements! _

"Do…" I gulped nervously, "D-Do you want some of my...f-food? My parents made it; they're pretty famous cooks in the city and even the kingdom!"

"H-Huh?!" Aika's face became completely red and she slowly looked away. "I-I…um—"

"WHAT?!" Masello and Auburn shouted simultaneously, cutting off Aika. Mint, Maple, and Tea also gasped, but Cobalt did a confused head tilt. "Y-You're offering your food?! You never share your food with me!" Masello complained.

"Yeah what gives Tangelo?! I want some of Uncle Arc's cooking!"

"S-Shut up!" I retorted.

"I am so confused right now." Cobalt commented quietly. "Why is everyone freaking out over this?"

"Tangelo almost never shares his food anymore. Everyone used to bug him for some because it's from Royal Diner, and he eventually got tired of it." Mint ended up explaining for me. _And I'm glad I made that decision. I would end sharing so much of it there was none left for me!_

"W-Wow…" Cobalt managed to utter, completely baffled. "Well I guess I don't blame them. Royal Diner has some delicious food after all."

"I KNOW I KNOW AND MY BEST FRIEND WORKS AND LIVES THERE AND HE CAN'T EVEN GIVE ME JUST A TINY BIT OF ITTTT!" Masello continued to complain loudly.

"I FEEL YA, MASELLO! LIFE CAN BE SO CRUEL!" Auburn cried.

"Auburn, Uncle Cain can cook too y'know! Dad learned from him! And you have chefs and stuff! You don't need my dad's cooking!"

"IT'S NOT THE SAME!" Auburn pouted, her cheeks puffed up.

"Will you two please stop yelling?! Everyone's staring at us!" Mint angrily scolded the two whiners.

"Eep!" Auburn hid her head under her paws at Mint's scolding. "S-Sorry Mint!" _Huh, that's new. Maybe Mint's outburst on Saturday really got to her._

"Guys…?" Cobalt said quietly.

"What?" Auburn said, peeking through her paws.

"She left."

….

"Whaaaaaaaaat?!"

* * *

Cobalt's POV

Almost two weeks have passed and Auburn has still failed to get Aika to be friends with us. She and everyone has tried their best to converse with Aika, but every attempt ended with her telling us to "mind our own businesses" or to just go away. It's left all of us tired and annoyed by her sassy and rude attitude, and some of us even think it's not worth all this work to befriend her.

"Auburn..." I said sadly as I walked up to her table group. Aika was putting away her stuff into her backpack, while Auburn had her head on her desk, exhausted from all her attempts to try to befriend the Poochyena.

"Ugh, why does she have to be so stubborn?" Auburn sighed.

"Hey now, I don't want to hear that from you!" Mint teased. Auburn made a pouty face while Tea and I made a soft chuckle.

"So are we giving up yet?" Tangelo asked as he and the other our other friends from my group joined us. "That girl has been nothing but a huge pain!"

"Indeed, these past days have been quite bothersome!" Masello added, "But at least it's the weekend finally. And Cobalt's birthday tomorrow too!" Masello said trying to cheer us all up. _That's right… tomorrow we're all going to Homura Family Park for my birthday party!_

"Aika!" Ms. Luna shouted suddenly from the front of the classroom. The six of us looked up to see Ms. Luna trying to stop Aika just before she tried to leave. "May I please have a word?" Aika glared at our teacher for a second before reluctantly turning back to our surprise. They then began to speak quietly, making it difficult to eavesdrop on them.

"Oh, this sounds like it could interesting!" Auburn suddenly got up from her defeated state. "Maple!"

"I'm on it!" Maple saluted and closed her eyes. Apparently Maple has impressive hearing due to her large ears, even if they're covered with fur, but it requires her to focus and concentrate.

We all stood there silently, letting Maple concentrate and try to hear what Ms. Luna has to say to Aika. Based on their facial expressions and gestures, I would say that Ms. Luna is probably concerned about Aika and her not showing up. Aika's expressing was especially interesting; she looked… really sad and like she was about to cry. However, that soon turned into a face of annoyance as she swiftly raised her snout to the side and left the classroom.

"Aika, please wait!" Ms. Luna shouted, trying to stop her but with no success. "…And she's gone." Ms. Luna sighed. "What am I gonna do with that girl?" She placed a paw on her forehead and shook her head, obviously annoyed.

Soon Maple opened her eyes again and sighed. "Well, that was sort of boring."

"What did they say? What did they say?" Auburn asked excitedly.

"Basically Sis kept asking Aika why she doesn't show up and how she does so well on quizzes even though she's never here. Sis even tried asking where she lives so she could talk to her parents. All Aika said was 'it's none of your business' and walked out."

"Where she lives huh? Ooh! Oooh! I just got an idea!" Auburn jumped up and down.

"No." Mint said coldly and bluntly.

"Whaaaat? You didn't even hear me out!"

"I don't need to. You're going to suggest that we stalk her and find out where she lives right?"

"What the—how'd you know?! Are you a psychic or somethi— …never mind." _Well at least she caught herself… _"Come Miiiiiinnnnntttt! Pleeeeaaasssse?"

"No! I don't agree with stalking her! And besides I need to get home. I'll be on my way now, good-bye." Mint bowed and headed out.

"I need to get going too. There's probably a huge stack of dishes waiting to be washed." Tangelo sighed but then smiled, "But I also need to help get all the food ready for tomorrow! Later!" Tangelo said excitedly and left.

"I'd love to go on your stalking adventure, but you know I always have to wait here for Sis." Maple shrugged.

"That just leaves you three then. Are you in? You're in right Cobalt?" Auburn looked at me intently with her blazing red eyes, practically begging me to go.

"Er…well, I guess…" I reluctantly agreed.

"Oh, that does sound quite fun. Allow me to accompany you!" Masello said happily.

"U-Umm…I-I…"

"Oh! Tea! You DEFINITELY have to go! You can make yourself invisible and stalk Aika! Come on, come on, let's get going before Aika gets too far away!"

Before Tea even had a chance to protest, Auburn grabbed her by the hand and started to drag Tea out of the classroom. "W-Whaaaaa h-h-help m-meeeee!" Tea cried loudly.

"Wait for me chums!" Masello ran out after the crying Litwick and excited princess. I sighed and shook my head at Auburn's energy and forcefulness.

"Ahaha, man now I really wish I could go!" Maple laughed. "You should get going too Cobalt. I'll see you tomorrow." She winked and headed the opposite direction to hang with her sister. I nodded and chased after my friends.

"Geeze, just how far away is her home?!" Auburn complained in a whispered voice. The four of us have been secretly following Aika for quite some time now. She's led us into the not-so-nice side of town, where the homes are definitely for families of lower income and the shops are on the shady side. "Luckily this side of town doesn't have many Pokémon walking around so no one has stopped to greet me yet."

"Well you've had us try to huddle around you while we were on the move so no one would notice you anyway…" I stated.

"As much as I enjoy playing spies with my friends, I'm starting to get really hungry! Are we almost done yet Auburn?!" Masello whined. He was really excited and into it at first, but Masello really does start to get grumpy when he's hungry.

"Y-Yeah A-Auburn… Can I go home now? I want to take a n-nap…" Tea yawned.

"Will you guys please shut it? I didn't think it would take this long!"

"Oh, look guys! She stopped!" I pointed out. Aika finally stopped walking and stood in front of an alley between two buildings. She turned her head left and right several times before hesitantly entering.

"Oh my, that is very suspicious!" Masello exclaimed. "I definitely do not want to enter that alley!"

"Very suspicious indeed! Tea, now's your chance! Go use your Ghost-type abilities and follow her closely!"

"D-Do I h-have t-t-to…?" Tea stuttered quietly.

"If you want to go home, yes!" Auburn ordered her.

"…F-Fine." Tea answered back quietly and head to the entrance to the alleyway. She stood there for a moment before taking a step in before we lost sight of her due to her using her invisibility.

"Wow, someone's a bossy princess!" Masello snorted. Auburn glared at him, causing the Numel to flinch. "Sorry please don't hurt me!" Masello responded quickly, earning a cheeky grin from Auburn. I couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Come on, let's slowly follow too."

The three of us stood behind the buildings and poked our heads to see what was going on. The alley was quiet long and became dark deeper in. Aika was quickly becoming out of sight, especially since she her fur was dark and blended in.

"I can't see her anymore…" Masello commented.

"Let's go in then." Auburn entered and motioned us to follow. I nodded while Masello did the opposite and shook his head frantically.

"I'll stay by your side, so it'll be fine. I'm honestly a bit freaked out too, but we have Auburn here after all." I tried to cheer up my friend.

"C-Cobalt…thanks." Masello nodded and together we followed Auburn in, but not for long because all of the sudden a loud noise came from up ahead. We all looked to see Tea on the ground, face down, and a garbage can tipped over in front of her.

"W-Who's there?!" Aika shouted as she turned around from the sudden noise behind her. "Tea is that you?!"

"W-Whaaa please don't hurt me this was all Auburn's idea!" Tea cried as she got up and ran back to us and hid behind me and Masello.

"Tea, really?! You tripped over a garbage can?!" Auburn shouted in frustration.

Aika grunted, obviously angry at us following her. "Ugh this would be your doing, you stupid princess! Why are you here?!"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Auburn shouted back sassily.

Aika's eyes widened as she flinched back. "W-Whatever! It's none of your business." Then she turned around so her back was facing us. "Just get out! And never come back!"

"Make us!" Auburn stuck her tongue out.

"I said," Aika turned back toward us, slowly approaching and growling, her fangs sticking out as if she was going to attack us, "GET. OUUUUUUUUT!"

"W-WHAAAAH!" Tea screamed at the top of her lungs and was quickly gone.

"D-Don't hurt me!" Masello jumped back and tried to run away, but ended up tripping and falling on his side. Lava started to spew out from his hump.

"PFFT—AH MASELLO NOW'S NOT THE TIME FOR THAAAAT!" Auburn ran back to us and together we helped Masello back up. He thanked us before the three of us were out of the alley, where Tea was panting heavily and waiting for us.

"Ah, t-that was…s-s-so scary…" Tea managed to stutter out while she caught her breathe. "I-I'm never doing t-that a-again…I'm g-going home now…b-bye."

"I-I do believe I should b-be on my way now too. I shall see you all tomorrow." We all waved at each other good-bye and soon it was just me and Auburn.

"Well, now what do we do?" I asked.

"Hmm…" Auburn closed her eyes to think deeply.

"I'm kind of worried for Aika." I said worriedly.

"Why's that?" Auburn asked as she opened her eyes.

"Do think maybe…" I turned back so I was looking at the alley, "Maybe… she lives here?"

"W-What?!" Auburn shouted, "What makes you think that?!"

"Think about it. She was scavenging for berries, her fur was a mess both times I saw, she barely had lunch, and she almost never shows up for school. And she obviously didn't want us to see what was in that alley." I explained. Auburn's eyes widened, her face covered in shock.

"…Let's go back in." Auburn whispered.

"Huh?"

"Let's go back in! I need to know for sure if she's really living in there!" Her voice sounded desperate and her eyes looked a bit glossy, as if she was about to cry.

"Auburn…" I said slowly, slightly shocked at Auburn's new tone, but also happy for how much she cares. If there's one thing about Auburn that I admire, it's her compassion. "Yes, let's go back!"

Auburn and I turned around and entered the alley once more. It was as dark and creepy as ever, but as we got deeper in it looked like something was shining at the end. Auburn and I looked at each other before nodding and walking at a faster pace towards that light. When we got closer, there was a blockade of cardboard boxes and garbage cans, with that light shining above the wall and between the cracks. _This must be Aika's doing. She doesn't want anyone to come any further…_

"Should we move those boxes and stuff? Aika's definitely behind them!" I whispered to Auburn, trying to be as quiet as possible.

"Hmm, honestly we could probably just climb over them. It's not like this wall is high or anything. Heck, I bet I could just jump over it!" Auburn took a step back, got into a running position, and started to charge towards the wall. Just before making impact, she jumped swiftly and over the wall.

I was sort of speechless at how rash Auburn can be, but I did the same and easily jumped over the wall with my running start. When I landed I gasped at what stood before me. It was a small space, lit up by a few candles. The ground was covered in dirty blankets, and there were several stacks of books and notebooks. Many berries were piled up in one corner, and the other corner were a bunch of pillows piled together to make a bed. And on that bed was a small, messy, Poochyena with her eyes wide and her jaw dropped.

"W-W-Wha…WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Aika shouted at the top of her lungs. Her face was complete red from a mixture of probably anger and embarrassment. "I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE!"

"A-Aika…? W-What is this?!" Auburn stuttered, completely shocked.

"Aika, do you live here? Where are your parents?" I asked with concern in my voice. She didn't answer. "Answer me, please…"

"…So what if I do? It's none of your business anyway!" She looked away, advoiding eye contacted from us. "…Why are you here? I told you to go away…"

"Because we were worried about you. No kid would ever go into a creepy alley like this. Not even an adult would!"

"Worried? Hah, yeah right, nobody cares about me."

"Are you kidding?!" Auburn suddenly shouted and walked up to Aika, looking at her straight in the eyes, "Do you not realized what we've been trying to do these past two weeks?! I've been trying to make friends with you!"

"Friends? I don't need you guys! I don't need anybody!" She shouted in Auburn's face, causing Auburn to flinch back. Aika gasped slightly, then looked away. She placed a paw on that notebook she's always writing in and looked down at it sadly. "I already have tons of friends…"

"What?! No you don't! You're such a loner at school! You snarl at anyone that tries to talk to you! All you do is ignore everyone and write in that notebook! How could you possibly have any friends?! Where are they?!"

Aika stood there speechless, still avoiding eye contact and looking down on her notebook. "…They're r-right here."

"Huh?"

Aika squeezed her eyes closed, tears starting to form. With her face completely red, she looked back at us and showed us her open notebook, which was filled with words and paragraphs. It looked like she was writing a story. "They're in here!" Then she pointed at the books that fill her living space. "And there! These are the only friends I need!" Aika shouted, tears pouring down her face. "I-I d-d-don't need a-anyone b-but them…"

Auburn and I stood there speechless, frozen in place from what Aika just explained to us. "Y-Your friends…are in these s-stories?" I managed to say, despite how shocked I was. Aika looked at me with tear-filled eyes and nodded. I felt like my heart was shattered after that. I couldn't help but start crying as well.

Before I could say anything, Auburn suddenly embraced Aika tightly. Aika gasped and her eyes widened. "You… You've been alone all this time, haven't you? It's okay now, just let us in your life. I'll be your friend. We'll all be your friends…" Auburn said softly as she cried.

"I-I…" Aika stuttered. To both mine and Auburn's surprise, she suddenly broke away from Auburn's hug and her expression turned into a slightly angry, but still sad one. "I-I told you I d-don't need anyone! I…j-just…leave me alone…" She growled lowly.

"Aika...why?" Auburn spoke softly with wide eyes, dumbfounded that Aika still refused to accept us.

"Aika," I said slowly as I wiped a tear away and approached her, "Why don't we be friends?" I held my hand out, offering my friendship. Aika glared at it with teary eyes. She hesitantly tried to grab it, but then held back and looked away.

"I-I…I…"

"Aika…" I closed my eyes and pulled back my hand, "Tomorrow is my birthday, and I'm having a party at Homura Family Park tomorrow afternoon. Why don't you join us?" I opened my eyes and invited her with a warm smile.

"H-Huh…?" Aika looked at me hesitantly, then back at Auburn. Both Auburn and I had kind and gentle expressions, and Aika gasped and looked away. "I-If I go…will you guys keep t-this a secret? Don't tell anyone that I'm homeless…and have no parents…"

"B-But…! T-That's too…" Auburn gasped and looked down sadly.

"But why?"

"Just promise me!" Aika shouted with her eyes shut tight, "Promise me that you'll tell no one…and that you'll never come here again. T-Then m-m-maybe I'll go…" Aika looked away sadly, her face still completely red and her eyes still teary.

"Fine…" I nodded slowly. I really wish I could do something, but I also don't want to lose Aika's trust.

"…Good. What about you, Princess?"

"I'll do it if you call me Auburn." Auburn looked at her straight in the eyes with a serious expression.

"F-Fine…A-A-Auburn…" Aika managed to stutter. She then walked past us towards her wall of boxes and opened one of the flaps, revealing an exit. "…Now leave. P-Please…and don't forget o-our promise…" She said quietly without looking at us.

"Aika…"

"…Let's go Auburn." I said quietly and headed out. Auburn followed my lead and soon we were back at the entrance of the alley.

"Aika…why…?" Auburn cried with her head down. Tears began to fall down her face again, and I couldn't help but try to cheer her up, so I did the first thing that I could think of and hugged her.

"C-Cobalt…!" She gasped.

"It'll be fine Auburn. I'm sure once she accepts us she'll let us help her… so for now we just need to be patient."

"Y-Yeah… y-you're right Cobalt!" Auburn broke the hug and smiled at me warmly, her face slightly flushed red, "I can't wait for that day! Then we can tell my parents and Cream and they'll think of something!" Auburn nodded and giggled, "Hehe, thanks Cobalt!"

* * *

The trees and grass radiated a bright green color as they swayed slowly with the gentle wind blowing in the bright blue sky. My birthdays are always on bright, warm, and beautiful days due to it falling at the beginning of spring.

"Ah, spring really is in the air!" Cream took a deep breath as she set up one of the gazebos in Homura Family Park. "The perfect weather for a birthday party in the park! Are you excited Cobalt?"

"H-Huh?" Oh, yeah…"

"Hmm?" Cream looked at me suspiciously, "That wasn't a very enthusiastic response! What's wrong dear?"

"Well…" I took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh spring air, "This is my first actual party. And I guess I can't help but think about my parents and Plum and everyone…" _And I'm also worried about Aika…_

"Cobalt…" Cream said slowly. Suddenly I felt a warm hand placed on my head, petting it. It actually felt very comforting... I looked up at Cream who was smiling, though I could sense a bit of sadness behind it. "I'm sure that your parents and everyone from Miner's Town is watching over you. And I'm especially sure that they're all extremely proud of how much you've grown. Remember, they're never truly gone!"

"C-Cream…" I stuttered. I felt tears starting to build, but I quickly wiped them away and smiled happily. "Thanks… Hehe, thanks for everything you do! I love you!" I giggled and suddenly hugged her tightly.

"Ah, Cobalt, now you're gonna make me cry! I love you too dear!"

"Awwww isn't that just the sweetest thing you've ever seen?" Cream and I looked up to see a grinning Ninetales. Behind her was a big Arcanine with a huge smile and a small Vulpix who looked like she was about to cry.

"Oh, Arylide! And Cain and Auburn! You're early!" Cream said happily to her friends.

"Cobaaaaallltt!" Auburn yelled and came running towards me, grabbing me into a tight hug. "Aahh that was so touching and adorable! You can be so cute!"

"A-Auburn… t-too tight…"

"Oh, sorry! Hehe." Auburn let go and giggled sheepishly. "I can't help it sometimes, you're just too cute! Right guys?" Auburn turned her head. I didn't notice before, but it looks like Mint and Tea was also with her.

"T-That w-was pretty cute…" Tea commented quietly.

"C-C-C-C-Cute?! W-W-What d-d-do you m-mean?!" Mint panicked, her face completely red. "I-I mean I-I g-guess Cobalt is c-c-c-cute! We're a-all k-kids right? K-Kids are c-c-c-cute! Ah…ahahah!" Mint laughed in a…very strange way.

"Umm riiiigght…" Auburn looked at her with a creeped out expression. "Anyway, happy birthday Cobalt!" Auburn cheered happily. Mint and Tea also wished me a happy birthday.

"Haha, thanks!"

"You're 9 now! Man, everyone's birthday is before mine! Why do I have to be the youngest one?" She playfully complained, but I have a feeling she is actually sort of bothered by that.

"Aw, don't feel bad Auburn! That just means we're saving the best for last!" I tried to cheer her up.

"…Y-Yeah! You're right! Haha, you gotta save the best for last!" Auburn instantly cheered up and puffed her chest up proudly.

"Heeeeey!" Someone called out loudly from a distance. It was Tangelo and his parents! Mr. Arc and his wife, who I found out from Cream was Ms. Nina, were carrying trays of food. Along with them was Masello and his father, and even Maple and Ms. Luna! They were all also carrying utensils and drinks, all provided by Royal Diner. "Hey everyone! Big bro, it's been awhile!" Mr. Arc said loudly.

"Arc, it's been too long! Like, maybe a week! Haha!" Mr. Cain laughed loudly as he and his brother exchanged greetings.

"So this the birthday boy!" Ms. Nina walked up to me and introduced herself. "I'm Nina, Tangelo's mother. It's nice to finally meet you!" I bowed politely and greeted and thanked her back.

"Looks like everyone is here and early!" Cream laughed. "Well I'm almost done anyway! We just need to get everything all set up then we can get this party started!" Cream clapped her hands happily. Auburn and I looked at each other worriedly.

"Everyone is here huh?" I questioned Cream's words quietly.

"Except for one…" Auburn whispered.

"I hope she shows up." I whispered back sadly. I looked back at Mint and Tea who also looked somewhat worried.

"Tea told me what happened yesterday." Mint stated.

"A-And Auburn told me that you guy's invited her…" Tea added, "Umm, e-even if she sort of s-scares me now, I do hope she c-comes…" It looks like Auburn didn't tell them about Aika's home situation though.

"Ah, I just love parties!" Masello said loudly as he, Maple and Tangelo walked up to us.

"Happy birthday Cobalt!" The three of them said simultaneously.

"Thanks guys…" I said quietly.

"Whoa, what's up with that response?" Tangelo said with concern.

Maple looked at us with worry and added to Tangelo's concerns. "Are you guys okay? You all look kinda down."

"Indeed! This is a party! All my chums should be happy! There's gonna be so much delicious food and fun times! So much excitement!" Masello cheered in his foreign accent.

I looked at my friends and explained what happened. It looks like Masello didn't tell Tangelo and Maple yet, so Auburn and I explained everything, purposely leaving out the part about Aika being a homeless orphan and keeping our promise with her.

"I see. Cheer up guys, I'm sure she'll show up!" Maple said enthusiastically.

"She better! We put in _way_ too much effort these past few days." Tangelo sighed.

"Still, I cannot help but wonder what she was doing in that alley." Masello said with his eye closed, trying to think of what Aika could've been doing in there. "Are you two sure you don't know what she was doing?"

My ears perked when Masello questioned how much we really knew. I started to sweat nervously, but Auburn thankfully remained calm.

"No idea. She was being all secretive and stuff and refused to tell us. Right Cobalt?" Auburn looked at me intently.

"Y-Yeah…" I stuttered, "S-She wouldn't tell us." I sighed. _Ugh I was never going at lying… Plum and Mother were always able to easily see through all my lies!_

"Huh. Oh well! Maybe she'll tell us one day!" Mint said in somewhat odd tone, looking at me. I may have been imagining it, but I think she's onto me…

"Kids! Everything's all set up! Time to start this party! Let's eat!" Cream yelled out, excitement and happiness obvious in her voice.

"Oh boy, I am STARVING!" Masello shouted and ran to the table containing the food. The six of us all laughed and joined our gluttonous friend.

The gazebo was now completely decorated with balloons and a banner that said "Happy Birthday!" There were three tables in the gazebo: one of them was covered in trays and platters containing delicious food made by Tangelo's parents. It also had a several different pitchers of drinks. The second had a colorful cake in the middle, surrounded by balloons and presents. And the last table, which was the biggest, had plates and cups and served as our dining table.

"Come on everyone, dig in! Help yourselves, we cooked a lot!" Mr. Arc announced happily. Everyone cheered and we all took turns in filling up our plates.

After everyone all had a chance to grab their food and drinks, the dining table was quickly filled with chatter and laughter. Comments on how delicious the food was were plentiful and resulted in cheeky and proud grins by Tangelo's parents. Mr. Cain would say how much his brother has improved while Ms. Arylide would scold the king and princess on their terrible table manners. She even scoled Mr. Bubbington and Masello for eating like they've never eaten before! It was overall an enjoyable time, and I couldn't be more thankful to share it all with everyone.

"By the way," Ms. Luna said in a more serious tone, "Your Majesties, and Mr. Arc and Ms. Nina as well, I'd like to discuss Auburn and Tangelo's performance at school." Tangelo's ears perked up and their eyes widened. Auburn was taking a sip of her drink and she almost coughed it all out after hearing Ms. Luna.

"Are they fighting again in class?! They just made up too!" Ms. Nina shouted worriedly.

"No, no, they have fine behavior. I'm more concerned about their grades. Seeing as Auburn _is_ the princess and Tangelo is technically royalty, I would expect them to do better. Granted they are still only in 3rd grade, but it's never too early to do well."

"Oh I agree wholeheartedly." Ms. Arylide nodded, "Just how bad is Auburn doing? Every time I ask her about her grades, she quickly runs up to her room!"

"Well we recently had a pop quiz an—"

"O-OH!" Auburn yelled, cutting off Ms. Luna, "My, w-would you look at the t-time! We b-better get out there a-and start playing b-before the sun sets! Aha…HAHAHA!" Auburn stuttered nervously, but also loudly.

"Y-Yeah! Y-You couldn't be m-more right cousin! Let's GO!" Tangelo also said nervously and loudly. He grabbed Masello and forced him away from his plate and towards the playground, Auburn following them.

"W-WAAAAAAIIIIIITTT MY FOOOOOOOODD!" Masello shouted, trying to reach out for his food. His voice faded as they got further away.

"…Really?" Ms. Luna face palmed. Mint joined her in her frustration with a face palm of her own, while everyone else laughed at the royal cousins running away.

"Ahaha, they're so stupid!" Maple laughed. "I guess we should go join them! Let's go guys!" Maple jumped off her chair and headed after our friends.

I looked at Mint and Tea and shrugged, "Well, what can you do? Shall we?"

"I guess we don't really have a choice." Mint sighed as she took one last bite of her food, completely cleaning off her plate. "You ready Tea?"

"S-Sure…" Tea replied.

"Have fun kids!" Cream called out.

"And tell Auburn she's definitely in trouble!" Ms. Arylide shouted playfully.

"Tangelo too!" Ms. Nina added. We nodded back at them and jumped off our chairs to go join the rest of our friends.

"Ah, to be young again!" I heard Mr. Bubbington laugh just as we left.

I spent the next few hours playing and running around the park with my friends. We played just about everything, from playing tag on the playground, to role-playing on the hill again, to running around the field and kicking a ball around. Auburn even had us play hide-and-seek, but with twist where we actually had to run away from her and reach a base. We used the entire park for hiding and the gazebo as the base. Auburn wanted to be the seeker since she was the fastest out of all of us, and she even threw in some role-playing and pretended to be an evil, vicious Luxray hunting for prey, and we as the hiders were her preySurprisingly, the only one caught was Maple, while I was the first one there. I have some bad memories involving Luxrays back when I just ran away from home, so I think that may have been why I was the first to make it to the base safely. All the teasing commenced at Maple and Auburn made jokes on how even Masello and Tea beat her. Maple got all embarrassed and Ms. Luna even teased her for being the only one to lose.

After that game of hide-and-seek, since we were all back, Cream decided it would be a good time to have the birthday cake and pass out the presents. I stood in the middle and was surrounded by all my friends that I loved as they all sang happy birthday to me. It was a very joyful moment for me, and I couldn't have been more happy, even though there was still someone missing…

"Time to pass out the presents!" Cream announced after we finished eating the cake.

"Oh, OOOH! Me first!" Auburn jumped up and down excited. She grabbed a small box wrapped in fiery red wrapping paper and gave it to me. "Here you go Cobalt! Happy birthday!"

"Thanks Auburn!" I smiled at her and opened the box to reveal its contents. Inside the box were some books that look barely used.

"I know how much you enjoy reading, so I decided to give you some of my books. They're practically new since I never read! Haha!" Auburn laughed, while Ms. Arylide shook her head, probably disappointed that Auburn never read these books. "Look, I even added the book that has Strom and the legendary sword powered by Zekrom!"

"Wow, thanks Auburn! These will definitely see some use from me! And I've been wanting to reread that after last week!" I thanked her happily, with her responding with a bashful and cute giggle.

Everyone else proceed in giving me their gifts. Tea wrote me a poem, but said to read it later because she'd be too embarrassed to have it read in front of her. Tangelo and Masello both gave me some new toys to play with and had me promise to them that we'd all play with them together, to which I of course agreed to. Maple revealed that the birthday cake was actually my present, and that she and Ms. Luna made it together last night.

"Wow, you made that cake?! It was so good!" I said, shocked at how well of bakers they were. "I've never had such a delicious and moist cake before!"

"Hehe, I'm glad you liked it! I actually really enjoy baking, so I thought this was my chance to put my skills to the test!" Maple puffed her chest up proudly.

"And by that, she means she helped me grab the ingredients and decorate it. I did most of the work!" Ms. Luna grinned.

"S-Sis! You said you wouldn't tell him that! You meanie!" Maple complained as she lightly hit her sister several times. Laughter filled the gazebo as we happily witnessed their sisterly bond.

"Umm, I guess it's my t-turn…" Mint took a deep breath and walked up to me. "H-Here you go. I-I k-k-know it's not much, but I-I put a lot of e-effort into it…" Mint stuttered shyly as she presented me a pale-green envelope. I opened it to find a folded piece of paper, which I proceed to unfold to reveal a drawing of a Riolu, Vulpix, and Ralts.

"Wow, this is so well done! Did you draw this? Is this supposed to be us?" I asked, amazed at the drawing I held in my hands.

Mint nodded slowly, her face covered in red. "Y-Y-Yeah… Um… do y-you like it?"

"Like it? I love it! It's an amazing drawing! I'm impressed!" I smiled happily.

"I wanna seeeee!" Auburn ran up to and stood closely, "Wow, you really outdid yourself this time Mint!"

The rest of my friends came up to get a look as well. "Aww I wish we were in it too!" Maple whined, with Tangelo and Masello agreeing with her.

"S-Sorry...I-I'm not that good of a drawer. I ran out of room…" Mint looked down, her hand behind her head.

"Don't feel bad chum. It is truly an amazing work of art! I look forward to the day that you draw all of us!" Masello tried to cheer Mint up, which worked as Mint looked back up and smiled at us.

"Well, looks like it's finally my turn!" Cream announced as she walked up to me with a thin, rectangular box wrapped in light pink wrapping paper. "Here you go dear!"

I thanked her and accepted the present. I opened the box to reveal an empty picture frame inside. "Um, it's empty?"

"I know. That's because we're going to take the picture right now! Everyone gather around!"

"R-Really?!" I exclaimed happily. Everyone else shared my excitement as the gazebo was quickly filled with chatter. _I didn't know Cream owned a camera! How exciting! This would be my first picture in Homura City!_

Cream set up the camera as we all huddled up in front of all the decorations. Soon the camera was ready and Cream quickly joined us as we all smiled and posed happily at the camera. Soon a bright flash was omitted, signaling that the photo was successfully taken.

"You better make extra copies of that!" Ms. Arylide teased playfully at her best friend.

"Ahaha, I'll make one for everyone, don't worry!" Cream winked.

"Cream!" I shouted as I ran to the Audino and jumped on her, giving her a tight hug. "Thanks Cream, I love the present!"

"Oh!" Cream gasped at my sudden hug. "Hah, I'm glad you love it!" She smiled and returned the hug. I looked behind and around me to see everyone giving out smiles, grins, and looks that said "Aw how adorable!" I also noticed that it was starting to get darker and the sky was starting to turn orange.

"The sun is starting to set; I think it's about time we headed home." Ms. Luna stated, also noticing the color of the sky. "Let's go Maple." Ms. Luna waved and started heading out.

"Aww, okay then." Maple whined. "Bye guys! This was super fun!" Maple waved and chased after her sister.

"Oh no, I better go too before Mother gets angry at me! Good-bye everyone! Thank you for inviting me to this wonderful party!" Mint bowed politely and ran off.

"A-Ah, I am getting p-pretty sleepy… I think i-it's nap time…" Tea yawned, "Bye everyone…"

"Shall we get going too Son?" Mr. Bubbington asked Masello, his accent thicker than Masello's.

"I suppose so, but first let us pack some of this delicious food to-go!"

"But of course!" Mr. Bubbington laughed hardily as the two of them walked to the food and began packing it to bring home.

"Ahaha, less leftovers for us to worry about." Ms. Nina laughed as she and Mr. Arc cleaned up the rest of the tables. It didn't take long for them to finish packing everything and soon the gazebo was left with me, Cream, and the royal family.

"She never came…" Auburn looked down sadly.

"Maybe something happened. Let's ask her about it on Monday…" I placed an arm around Auburn to cheer her up. She looked at me with her blazing red eyes and smiled, giving me a nod.

"Your Majesties!" Someone shouted suddenly from a distance. It looked like one of the Infernapes that guarded the castle. "B-Big news!"

"What is it?" The king asked calmly.

"We finally caught it! The thief that's been stealing lately!" The Infernape guard answered enthusiastically. "It turns out the thief was just a child! A small, female Poochyena with messy fur! We currently have her contained at the castle!" The Infernape explained.

"S-Small, female Poochyena w-with messy f-f-fur?" Auburn gasped and stuttered. She looked at me with wide eyes, sweat on her face, and completely mortified.

_A-AIKA!_

* * *

**Whaaaa Aikaaaaa ;A;**

**JUST WHAT SECRETS DOES SHE HOLD?!**

**So something has been bothering lately. I feel like I've made the characters too... mature for their age. Like...I dunno I feel like the way everyone talks and interacts with each other seems too mature for 3rd graders. It's a little too late to do anything about it, but... what do you guys think? Am I just being paranoid?**

**Anyway I wanna give a shout out to all you guys that review and even follow and fave the story! I never would've dreamed that I'd reach this many reviews and followers! I appreciate it, I really do! Thank you all! :D**


	13. Chapter 13

**I DID IT! FINALLY! CHAPTER 13 IS DONE!**

**But it's also like 6 am and I'm really exhausted right now, so sorry for any typos or grammatical errors... I attempted to proofread, but I'm so tired so I probably did a poor job lol. Just tell me if there're any bad errors, or something...**

**Oh, and just one little thing... if you haven't read my profile recently, I've started doing birthday drawings for my characters on my DeviantArt. So far Mint's and Masello's birthdays have passed, so check them out! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon!**

* * *

Cobalt's POV

"A-A child?!" Ms. Arylide shouted in shock from the news of the castle guard. "The thief was a child all along?!"

"Yes, she appears to be the same age as Her Highness," the guard nodded. "We've tried to question her, but she would either not respond or rudely say that 'it's none of our business.' She refuses to tell us the whereabouts of her parents too. We did not want to both Your Majesties on your day off, but we did not know what else to do. Perhaps she will answer Your Majesties." The Infernape explained.

"Mom! Dad!" Auburn frantically turned to her parents, "We have to go home now!"

"What's wrong dear? Why are you freaking out?" Mr. Cain asked worriedly.

"I-It's Aika! The thief! T-That's definitely Aika! Right Cobalt?!"

"I-It sounds like it…" I said quietly and dumbfoundedly. "She's the one that's been food stealing in the city…" I looked down at the ground. _Could it be because she's unable to scavenge for berries all the time?_ I raised my head back up and looked at Auburn with determination. "We need to go to her."

"Exactly! So come on! We have to go! Let's go! Let's go!" Auburn's voice gradually grew louder and raspy, the concern for Aika obvious in her voice.

"Auburn calm down!" Ms. Arylide scolded her daughter loudly. "We will go once we are done cleaning up here!"

"B-But Mom…!"

"Please, allow me to finish cleaning this up." The Infernape stepped forward and bowed.

"But there's still quite a bit just for one Pokémon…" Cream said worryingly.

"I appreciate the concern Ms. Cream, but I can handle a little cleaning!" The Infernape said enthusiastically. "Her Highness is obviously worried for her friend, so please go on ahead. I insist."

Cream looked at him with an unsure expression, but nodded. "Well, if you say so… Thank you so much." Cream bowed back. "Shall we get going then? I'm worried for this child."

"I am as well. Let's go everyone." Mr. Cain said calmly, his voice deep and confident. It sort of reminded me of Father's voice. Memories of Father leading the town began to flood into my mind, but I quickly shook them away. _They're always with me... They're always watching me…_

We left the gazebo behind for the castle guard to clean and exited the park. Auburn walked at a very fast pace, almost as if she was running. Ms. Arylide attempted to slow her down, but once Auburn slowed down she would pick up the pace again.

"Auburn, for the last time, please slow down!"

"B-But…"

"No buts! You are getting too far ahead!" Ms. Arylide's voice growing annoyed at Auburn's impatience. Auburn flinched and lowered her ears at her mother's scolding.

"Now, now, Arylide, Auburn is just worried for her friend." Cream placed a hand on the Queen's shoulder. "She's the spitting image of you when we were younger!" She giggled.

"Cream… I know, but it's not safe to run in the city streets, especially this late in the day."

"Haha, now you sound just like your mother!" Cream laughed, causing Ms. Arylide grown a slight blush. Even Mr. Cain laughed along at Cream's teasing. It was nice to see them get along so well. _I hope I can get along with everyone like this when we become adults._

When we reached the castle, Mr. Cain led us to one of the towers that are located at the edges of the castle. Back when Auburn gave me the tour she told me she wasn't allowed to go there without an adult, so of course we didn't go there. I didn't question it then, but based off the current situation I would guess it may be for captured Pokémon or prisoners. There were more guards at the entrance of this tower and one of them led us inside to the room where Aika was apparently being held.

"S-She's not being held in jail is she?!" Auburn panicked.

"No, we wouldn't put a child behind bars." The guard answered. He stopped in front of a door which was also guarded. "She is currently contained in this room."

"Thank you." Mr. Cain thanked the guard, who bowed opened the door slowly and motioned us enter. The room was practically empty; it contained only a table with a few seats in the middle and a light hanging above it. There were no windows are anything else. In the corner of the room, a small, black Pokémon with messy fur sat on the ground, staring at the wall with her back towards us.

"Aika!" Auburn cried and ran to the Poochyena.

"H-Huh?" Aika slowly turned around before getting trampled by the worried Vulpix who instantly embraced her into a tight hug. "P-Princes— I mean, A-Auburn…" She stuttered quietly.

"Aika…" I slowly walked up to the two. I looked down at Aika, who looked like a complete mess. The fur on her face, especially around her eyes, was matted. Her eyes were also red; it was obvious she had been crying for some time. "Are you okay?"

"C-Cobalt…" Aika looked up at me briefly, her face turning completely red and her eyes starting to water before looking away. "I-I…"

"Aika what happened?! Why are you here?!" Auburn cried with her face buried in Aika's chest, causing her voice to be muffled. Aika continued to avoid eye contact with me and remained silent.

"Young girl," A burly voice came up from behind me, "Aika was it?" Aika's ears twitched at the sound of the King's voice. "Is it true you are the one that has been stealing food this entire time?"

Aika remained silent. However it wasn't long before sniffling was all that could be heard from her. Tears pouring from her eyes again, she refused to look at us.

Mr. Cain stood there and remained cool and collected. "Answer me." He said bluntly.

"…I-It's _*sniff* _n-none of your business."

"Aika!" Auburn shouted, causing Aika to look straight at her, "P-Please! J-Just tell us e-everything…" Auburn said quietly with tears beginning to pour down her face.

"B-But… I-I…" Aika stuttered, lost at what to say.

"Aika…!" I was about to take a step forward to Aika to comfort her, but something pink walked past me and beat me to it. _C-Cream!_

"Aika…" Cream sat beside her, "You poor child…" Cream put an arm around Aika and petted her head with her other. Auburn broke her hug with Aika and took a step back. I walked up to them and stood beside Auburn.

"W-Who are you?" Aika asked in a surprisingly calm voice.

"I'm Cream. Cobalt's mother."

"M-Mother?" She asked, obviously confused.

"That's right." Cream stopped petting her and wiped away Aika's tears. "Please, won't you tell us what happened?"

"…It was a g-gift." Aika mumbled. It was barely audible, but Auburn and I were close enough to hear it.

"A gift?"

"C-Cobalt invited me to his birthday… so I n-needed to g-get him a gift… I-I don't have any m-money, s-s-so I h-had to s-s-steal it…" Aika's stuttering grew worse as the tears continued to fall her cheeks. "The t-t-toy w-w-was b-bigger _*sniff* _t-than fruits and b-berries I usually t-take, s-so I h-had t-t-trouble r-r-running away…"

I gasped and my eyes widened. _S-She got caught stealing…for me…?_ My heart broke after hearing that as I covered my mouth with my paws and tears began build in my eyes. "A-Aika…"

"So that means you have been stealing…" Ms. Arylide walked up and confirmed our suspicions on the thief. "But why? Young girl… Aika, where are your parents? Where do you live?" Aika shut her eyes tightly and her ears drooped down. Her face was still completely red and she continued to refuse to tell us.

"Aika… if you won't tell, I will." Auburn said sternly.

Aika's eyes widened and she looked once again straight at Auburn in the eyes. "Auburn! No—"

"AIKA I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!" Auburn snapped. We all looked at her, shocked that she raised her voice like that.

"Auburn dear, do you know something…?" Mr. Cain asked cautiously. Auburn looked back at her father with teary eyes and nodded.

"B-But Auburn…y-you p-p-promised…" Aika stuttered.

"But this is just too cruel!" Auburn took a step forward, "Please Aika! Let me help! Let _us_ help!" she cried.

I looked at Auburn, who still had teary eyes. But behind those tears was a fiery look of compassion and worry for her friend. "Auburn…" I whispered quietly to myself, continuingly amazed at just how much Auburn cares.

Aika's eyes were widened after hearing Auburn's plea and she closed her eyes. Cream placed her hand on Aika's head again, receiving a gasp and glance from the Poochyena. Cream answered with a warm smile, causing Aika to gasp again before taking a deep breath.

"F-Fine…" She muttered quietly.

Auburn and I gasped simultaneously. "Aika!"

"I-I live alone… in an alley…" Aika finally admitted. Gasps from the adults filled the empty room.

"W-What?! Y-You're homeless?!" Cream cried. "S-So that's why you were stealing food?" She asked, receiving a nod from Aika.

"B-But what about your parents?! What happened to them?!" Ms. Arylide exclaimed.

"T-They're…" Aika began to cry again, "They're g-g-gone. They w-were k-k-kidnapped… a-and forced t-to join…t-the Demon's Fang…" _W-What…?!_

The moment I heard "Demon's Fang" I felt an incredible feeling of terror and disbelief throughout my entire body. My eyes became completely widened and my jaw dropped to the ground. I couldn't move my body, but I could feel it shaking and trembling. More gasped filled the room after hearing the fate of Aika's parents.

"D-Did…did you say the D-Demon's Fang?" Cream managed to break the silence in the air quietly. Aika gave her a slow nod. "W-What happened? C-Can you please tell us?"

Again, Aika nodded and took a deep breathe before telling us her past.

* * *

No POV

_There was once a pair of Fire-type Pokémon: a Houndoom named Sombra, and his best friend and partner, a Ponyta named Nita. The two of them were traveling merchants. The two of them would travel the kingdoms while dragging their wagon to sell and trade with others. They would go everywhere, from small villages to the big capitals of the world, aiming to become the best and most trusted merchants ever._

_One day the duo made it to an exotic town in the easternmost corner of the world. The buildings and structures all had a foreign feel to it, with traditional houses with sliding doors, ponds filled with Magikarps and trees blooming with beautiful pink blossoms. They decided to stay at one of the local inns with a long history and family-owned by many generations of Mightyena. The receptionist working at the front desk was the owner's daughter, a beautiful Mightyena named Nozomi. The moment Sombra laid his eyes on her he felt something rush inside him. Nozomi also experience a similar sensation; it was at that moment Sombra and Nozomi's lives would change forever._

_Usually, the pair would stay in a town or city for only a few days, this time around Sombra and Nita stayed in that exotic town longer than they had planned. Sombra said it was for work reasons, but his best friend knew better and decided to play along with it._

_While the duo were great merchants, sometimes they would run into financial problems. One night Sombra, frustrated, sat alone at a table in the inn lobby, spending hours trying to figure out why everything wasn't adding up._

"_Hello sir, would you like some tea?" The beautiful Mightyena receptionist offered._

"_Oh, hello Nozomi. Yes, thanks. And I told you, Sombra is just fine!" Sombra smiled and accepted the offer._

"_S-Sorry, sir—err, I mean Sombra. Hehe…" Nozomi giggled cutely and poked her tongue out as she rubbed the back of her head, causing Sombra's face grew red and his ears perked up. "Are you okay?"_

"_H-H-HUH? O-O-OH! Y-Yes, I'm fine…" Sombra shook his head and sighed as he looked down at his notebook. "I'm just a bit frustrated right now…"_

_Nozomi looked down and noticed all the numbers and scribbles written in the notebook. "Hmm, may I see that?" Sombra nodded and handed the notebook to her. Nozomi took a moment to glace at all of the numbers before grabbing a pencil. Her eyes gleamed at every swift stroke of the pencil. Sombra sat there in pure shock at how quickly Nozomi wrote._

"_Whew!" Nozomi nodded as she double-checked her work. "There you go!" She handed back the notebook. _

_Sombra quickly grabbed and widened his eyes, dumbfounded at what just happened. "H-How…How did you do that so quickly?! That's amazing!"_

_Nozomi blushed slightly and giggled sheepishly. "I've always been pretty good at math. It's no big de—"_

_Sombra cut her off, grabbed her paws and looked at straight in the eyes, his eyes gleaming with amazment. "It is a big deal! Truly amazing! Thank you so much! You're a life saver!"_

_Nozomi started at him silently before her face became flushed in red. She closed her eyes and looked away. "H-Heh, you think?" She opened her eyes and slowly looked at him again, "N-No one's ever called me amazing…"_

"_Well you definitely are amazing! You've been a huge help! If only you were always around to help with this, it'd save me and Nita a lot of stress!"_

_Nozomi's face was now completely red from Sombra's compliments. The two of them continued to laugh and talk for a bit before Nozomi had to go back to work. Nita, who witnessed the entire scene behind the corner, smiled happily before heading back to their room._

_Finally, the day has come where Sombra and Nita would say good-bye to the inn and the exotic town. The duo bowed and thanked the inn owners and their daughter, Nozomi, and turned around to leave. Sombra gave one last glace back at Nozomi, who noticed his sad expression, before following his friend out the exit._

_With their wagon attached to them, Sombra and Nita pushed their way out of the town and into the forest with the next closest town as their destination. Nita noticed that his friend wasn't in very high spirits, and wished he could cheer him up somehow. He knew how Sombra felt, but they both knew they couldn't ask or force her to join them._

"_Are you sure about this?" Nita voiced his concerns._

"_Nita, you know I can't ask her to join, no matter how much of a help she would be. We can't just take her away from her normal life..."_

"_Y-Yeah…" Nita sighed, "But it's not like we'll never come back to that town! We'll meet her again one day, so cheer up!"_

_Sombra looked at his best friend and smiled. "Thanks Nita…"_

"_HEEEEEEY! WAIT UP!" A feminine voice came from a distance behind them. Sombra immediately recognized this voice and his eyes widened as he turned around._

_The source of the voice, a beautiful Mightyena with a backpack, ran up to them, breathing heavily when she caught up to them to catch her breath._

"_N-N-Nozomi?! W-What are you doing here?!" Sombra exclaimed. He was surprised and concerned to see her, but deep down he was extremely happy and hoping that she was going to do what he thought she was._

"_I-I…" Nozomi took a deep breath, "I want to join you!"_

_Sombra was completely overjoyed, but hid his excitement completely and instead voiced out his concerns. "But what about the inn? And your parents?! Your h—"_

"_I don't care about that!" Nozomi yelled, her eyes tightly shut and her face a deep shade of red._

"_H-Huh? B-But why…?"_

"_Because I only care about you…" She whispered quietly under her breath._

"_W-What?" Sombra's face also became a deep red. Nozomi took another deep breath, took a step forward and locked lips with him. Sombra's eyes became as wide as he could possibly make them and his face was now completely red. Nita stood there with a cheeky grin on his face, happy for his friends._

_Nozomi broke the passionate kiss and took a step back. "Because I love you."_

_Many years later Sombra and Nozomi became parents to a small and adorable Poochyena. They decided to keep to Nozomi's hometown's roots and named their daughter Aika. Sombra and Nita thought about settling down when Nozomi became pregnant, but Nozomi wanted them to follow their dreams and continue being the best traveling merchants. It was tough at first, traveling and raising a child, but with all three of them together, Aika grew up to be the perfect little angel._

_Thanks to Nozomi's brains, Aika was able to get a good education. Normally, Nozomi would teach Aika, but whenever they stayed at a town for a long period of time, Aika would go to the local school and learn with other kids. Because she was constantly travelling, however, Aika never had any friends and would remain silent and shy when someone tried approaching her._

_One day, the group was heading to Sombra and Nita's hometown in the Fire Kingdom, Homura City. Near the border of the Fire and Iron Kingdoms, tragedy struck the group of travelers, and Aika's life would change forever._

"_STOP RIGHT THERE!" Sombra and Nita stopped and turned around to see a menacing Zoroark approaching them._

"_W-What? Who are you? What do you want?" Sombra asked nervously. He began to sweat, as he heard rumors about a certain gang._

"_Oh, a Houndoom! A fellow Dark-type!" The Zoroark laughed. He directed his attention at the wagon, where Nozomi was sitting. Aika was inside the wagon taking a nap, so she wasn't visible to the Zoroark. "And a Mightyena! A pretty one at that!"_

_Nozomi gave the Zoroark a disgusted glare, "What do you want?!"_

"_My aren't you a hostile group!"_

"_Well you demanded us to stop! What do you expect?!" Nita snapped at him._

_The Zoroark glared at him, menace in his eyes. "I would watch what you say, Ponyta." He took a step closer to and eyed the wagon. "You appear to be travelers."_

"_That's right. We're traveling merchants." Nita said proudly._

"_I see. In that case…" The Zoroark smiled, "Your wagon. I'll be taking that."_

_The three of them gasped at the Zoroark's blunt demand. "W-What?!"_

"_Did I not make myself clear?" The Zoroark smiled evilly and snapped his fingers. Suddenly the group was surrounded by many Dark-types, all glaring at them with their fangs sticking out menacingly. "I am Majin, the leader of Demon's Fang, and I will be taking that wagon!"_

_Nozomi's eyes widened as one of the groups' biggest fears is becoming a reality: running into the Demon's Fang. "N-No…" She said quietly as tears began to form in her eyes._

"_W-What's going on Mommy?" Aika woke up and asked innocently._

"_A-Aika…" Nozomi said quietly and grabbed her daughter tightly, "Stay quiet. Don't say a word." The Poochyena was confused, but nodded nervously at her mother's warning._

"_Y-You… You will NOT be taking anything!" Nita shouted as the flames on his mane began to burn intensely. He took a fighting stance and began charging a Flamethrower._

"_Shut up." Majin said quietly. Suddenly he appeared in front of Sombra and Nita with a grin on his face. Sombra's gasped and his eyes widened as he saw the Zoroark's glowing red claws pierce through Nita's neck, the Ponyta taking a brutal Shadow Claw._

"_N-No way…" Nita muttered quietly before Majin pulled back his claws. Blood poured out at an alarming rate as Nita suddenly collapsed on the ground, the pool of blood quickly spreading. "S-Sombra…"_

"_N-NITA!" Sombra screamed in pure terror. He quickly went to his best friend's side and held onto him. "NITA! NITA! NITAAAAAA!" He gently shook the body as he continued to call out his best friend's name, failing to get a response. "N-Nita…" He dropped his head in defeat, tears pouring down his cheeks._

_Nozomi screamed at the top of her lungs as she tried her best to hide Aika from the bloody scene._

"_Heh, now then," Majin grinned has he shook his hand to rid of any excess blood, "I will be taking that wagon. And you as Dark-types shall fulfill your duty and join the Demon's Fang, unless you want to end up as that Ponyta. AHAHAHAHA!" Majin laughed evilly as he snapped his fingers. The Dark-types surrounded them proceed to take Sombra and his family in hostage. Sombra sat there, staring at his dead friend's body, as two Weavile began to detain him with little trouble._

"_S-SOMBRA!" The Houndoom snapped back into reality after hearing the love of his life's cries._

"_NOZOMI! AIKA!" Sombra struggled out of the Weaviles' grip without luck._

"_No, no, no! None of that!" Majin grinned as he himself went up to grab Nozomi. "My, you are quite the cutie!" He placed a hand on her face and smiled wickedly._

_Nozomi's stared back in complete terror. "S-STAY AWAY!"_

"_M-Mommy!" Aika began crying as she held onto her mother tightly._

"_Oh, what's this? A child?" Majin looked at Aika with disgust. "We have no need for children." He forcefully grabbed Aika away from Nozomi, causing the two to cry and scream desperately._

"_M-MOMMY! D-DADDY! H-H-HELP ME!"_

"_AIKA! N-NO! LET HER GO! GIVE HER BACK! P-PLEASE DON'T HURT HER! I-I'LL DO ANYTHING! I'LL JOIN YOUR GANG! J-J-JUST DON'T HURT MY DAUGHTER!"_

"_Hmph, you were going to join anyway so why should I listen to you?" The Zoroark grinned menacingly. _

_Nozomi flinched back and gasped. The tears not showing any signs of stopped as she continued to panic. "P-PLEASE! I B-BEG OF YOU! I… I just… M-My only wish is for her to live a happy life… S-So p-p-please… d-don't hurt my b-baby…" Nozomi stuttered, trying to convey her feelings to the heartless Zoroark. "I-It's m-my only w-wish…"_

"_PLEASE! DON'T HURT MY DAUGHTER! I'LL DO ANYTHING TOO!" Sombra cried out. "LEAVE MY DAUGHTER ALONE! P-PLEASE!"_

"_Aha..AHAHAHA! That was SO touching! I almost feel like crying! I'll tell you what; I'll give you one minute with her. Let her run away, or keep her here, I don't care. But you better choose wisely, unless you want to know what'll happen after that minute is up! AHAHAHA!" Majin laughed evilly as he threw Aika at Nozomi. He also signaled the Weaviles to bring Sombra to them so they can spend their final minute together._

"_M-Mommy! D-Daddy!" Aika began crying furiously._

"_Aika, listen to me. You need to get out of here now." Nozomi spoke calmly._

"_Here is a backpack filled with emergency supplies. There's a map and everything in there. Head to Homura City and find help! Someone will help you, I'm sure of it!" Sombra instructed carefully._

"_B-B-But…!"_

"_Go!" Aika's parents commanded, tears pouring down their cheeks. "Go and live a happy life. We love you so much…"_

_Aika's face grew a deep red as more and more tears fell down her cheeks. She gave her parents one last loving look and ran away. "I love you too!"_

_At that moment Majin's men began to shove and detain Sombra and Nozomi, as their daughter became farther and farther out of their reach._

"_Good-bye Aika…"_

_Aika ran. She ran as fast as she could. She never once looked back. Her parents' final words repeated in her head: "Go and live a happy life. We love you so much…" How could she live a happy life without her parents? Thoughts similar to that filled her head, but she would shake them away to focus on her current task: get to Homura City._

_It took her a week to get there. Aika spent the last seven days hiding in fear. She's small and dark, so it was easy for her to hide, but that didn't make it one bit reassuring. Every day was a day of fear. But she made it to the city, in hopes that her days of fear would end._

_Those days never ended. Aika had no idea what to do. She knew this was her father and Nita's hometown, but that meant nothing. With nowhere to go, Aika unfortunately entered the "not-so-friendly" side of town. Aika sought for help. She asked nearly everyone she ran into. She went door to door, begging for something. Anything. Every single one of those doors shut in front of her face before she could finish her pleas. Aika was a complete mess, and nobody wanted to deal with a stray. It was then Aika began to lose her trust in others._

_Aika eventually found an empty alley. Though it was scary and dirty, Aika swallowed what little pride she had left and made it her home. Her backpack was nearly empty: just a blanket, a few berries, a notebook, and other miscellaneous supplies. Aika spread her blanket on the corner of the alley, used the boxes and trash cans to build a barrier, and cried herself to sleep for the eighth day in a row._

* * *

Cobalt's POV

"…And that's what happened. I've been living like this since last summer. I would try my best to scavenge for food, because my parents taught me that stealing was wrong… But it's not easy to always look for berries in the wild. I would never steal more than what I needed. Mostly it was just food, though I took some candles and other small things every once in a while... I would find my other things in the garbage. Books, pillows, supplies, you name it.

"I wanted to continue my studies, so I forced myself into one of the classes, though it turns out I joined the wrong grade. I'm a year younger than everyone, but I knew and understood most of the material. It was tough going to class every day, because every day was a constant struggle to survive…"

Aika finished her story and looked up at us. The room was filled with sobs and weeps after hearing Aika's heartbreaking story. I stood there with my head down, my heart shattered and my mind trying its best to process everything. _The same thing happened to her… The Demon's Fang took her family away from her…_

I blinked to clear my eyes from some of the tears and looked up. Not surprisingly, Auburn was once again embracing Aika in a tight hug. Cream also held onto her tightly, gently petting her head.

"Y-You poor child…" Cream cried, "What a terrible past…"

"A-Aika! I-I'm s-s-so sorry! _*sniff* _I'm sorry for all the mean things I've ever done to you… Whaaa!"

"M-Ms. Cream… A-Auburn…" Aika's face once again turned completely red as she tried her best to fight back the tears. "A-Auburn… y-you d-d-don't haven a-a-anything to apologize f-for. Y-You s-s-stupid p-p-p-p-princess!" Aika sobbed onto Auburn's hug.

"The Demon's Fang… I cannot even begin to fathom the horror they've inflicted…" Ms. Arylide commented, still sobbing from Aika's past.

Mr. Cain walked up to his daughter and placed one of his large paws on her head. He looked down at her and gave a gentle smile. "Thank goodness they never struck Homura City. I don't know what I'd do if I was in Sombra's situation…" Mr. Cain wiped a tear and looked at me, a warm smile radiating under the tears. "Your parents really did an amazing job Cobalt; they saved other towns and perhaps even the entire world. They really are strong to defeat the Demon's Fang."

I looked at Mr. Cain in shock from his unexpected praise of my parents. I wiped some of the tears from my eyes and nodded happily. "T-Thank you Mr. Cain... My parents were amazing …" I closed my eyes as I replayed memories of Miner's Town in my head. "I miss them so much…"

"W-What did you say?!" Aika panicked. "D-Did you say they were defeated? A-And by Cobalt's p-parents?" Aika looked up at Cream, confused. "H-How can Cream be Cobalt's mom? She's an Audino…"

"Yes, that's right." Ms. Arylide confirmed, "The Demon's Fang has been completely defeated. They attacked Miner's Town in the Iron Kingdom… Cobalt's hometown."

"My father was the mayor. He and my mother did everything they could to make sure I escaped…" I said quietly, the sadness kicking in and my body trembling as that scene replayed in my mind. "I ran away… just like you…"

"W-What…?" Aika said quietly, completely dumbfounded.

"I ran away. My life was also filled with fear, especially after my compass broke and I became lost. But I did what I could to survive. One day I was injured badly and couldn't walk properly. I tripped and fell down a steep hill. My body was covered in wounds, I broke some bones, and I couldn't move. I thought I was going to die as I lost consciousness…" I began sniffling as I continued my story. "And I would've d-d-died too i-if… _*sniff*_"

"If Auburn didn't go play in the forest that day." Cream finished for me. I looked at Auburn who had her head down and was also sobbing. "Auburn found Cobalt unconscious in the forest. She did everything she could to bring him to my hospital."

"R-Really? Y-You saved his life A-Auburn?" Aika looked at the sobbing princess with eyes of disbelief.

Auburn smiled at her softly and nodded. "Y-Yeah…"

"W-Wow…" Aika said with a new respect for the Princess. "You really are something…" However, Aika's amazement quickly faded away. "But what happened next?! What happened to the Demon's Fang?!"

"Well it turns out Cobalt's father called the capital of the Iron Kingdom for help, but when they arrived it was too late. Miner's Town was completely destroyed and covered with b-bodies…" Ms. Arylide answered, slowly stuttering towards the end. "They found no survivors, but they did find the body of the Demon's Fang's leader and many other Dark-types nearby two Lucarios…" I cringed and tighten my fists as Ms. Arylide finished.

"Two Lucarios…" Aika said quietly as she added it all up.

"With nowhere to go, I offered to adopt Cobalt, which he accepted." Cream added. I looked at her happily, which she noticed and returned my smile. "I may not be his real mother, but I treat Cobalt as if he was my own son."

"I-I see… that's wonderful for you Cobalt…" Aika whispered with a faint smile. I could easily sense the melancholy in her voice. Suddenly, however, she gasped and raised her head "So there were no survivors? Everyone, both Miner's Town and Demon's Fang, dead?" Ms. Arylide looked at her sadly and nodded. "S-So my p-parents… are…"

Again, gasped filled the empty room. _Was Aika waiting for her parents…?_

"M-Mommy… D-Daddy… t-they r-r-really are…" She began sobbing furiously.

"A-Aika…" I said quietly as I slowly approached my crying friend. However, I quickly stepped back as Aika suddenly growled at me. "H-Huh?!" I gapsed.

"YOU! Y-Y-Y-YOUR PARENTS KILLED MY PARENTS!" Aika cried angrily. My eyes widen and I stood there frozen. _W-What?_

"A-Aika! C-Calm down! It's not Cobalt's fault!" Cream panicked and tried defending me as she and Auburn tightened their hugs on her.

"A-AIKA! CALM DOWN!" Auburn shouted at the top of her lungs, her voice raspy.

"G-GET OFF! L-L-LET GO!" Aika struggled and slipped out of their grips. "L-LEAVE ME ALONE!" Aika shouted with more tears in her eyes. The moment she was free, Aika zipped out of the room, leaving everyone in complete shock.

"AIKA!" Auburn screamed, trying to reach out for her. Auburn gritted her teeth and quickly ran after the Poochyena.

"Auburn!" Ms. Arylide gasped.

"Guards! After the Poochynea!" Mr. Cain ordered. The royal couple and the guards joined Auburn in chasing after Aika.

I stood there in complete shock. I could not believe what Aika just did. It felt like I was frozen in time, standing there motionless. At that moment I felt like I was a villain. _I thought Mother and Father were heroes…so w-why?_

Suddenly I felt a hand on my head. "C-Cream…" I felt the tears once again flow down my cheeks. My eyes started to hurt from all the crying I've done today.

"I-It's going to be okay Cobalt…" She held onto me and stroked my head, "It's going to be okay, Son…"

"C-Cream…" I cried, "M-Mom…" My shoved my head on her chest as I began bawling.

_This suddenly became the worst birthday ever…_

* * *

**OH GOD THIS CHAPTER WAS SO SAD! I MADE MYSELF BAWL ;A;**

**Since Aika's my friend Shadow Snivy's OC, we worked together to make Aika's past. Sombra means "shadow" in Spanish (SHADOW Snivy, GET IT?!) and Nozomi means "wish" in Japanese (her only wish was for Aika to live. TEARS STOP ;A;) And I made up Nita with my amazing naming skills lol. I don't think Aika has any significant meaning... but Ai means "love" and ka is commonly "flower," "song," or "fragrant." So yeah :P**

**So, Aika freaks out and runs away. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?! Find out in like 2-3 weeks lol.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Oh my god.**

**I am so late. Like, way over a month late. But finals, and then POKEMON SUPER MYSTERY DUNGEON OH GOD WHY IS THAT GAME SO GOOD and (insertmoreexcuses)**

**I'M SO SORRY!**

**But here it finally is: Chapter 14! And it's really really long! Lots of things happen in this chapter, so I hope you'll forgive the extra long wait. Sorry in advance for all the grammar and spelling errors like always. I TRY TO LOOK FOR THEM, I SWEAR!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon and this disclaimer probably isn't necessary but I don't care and I'm putting it anyway~~**

* * *

Cobalt's POV

"Wait a second..."

"H-Huh?" I looked up at Cream, M-Mom, with tear-filled eyes.

"The names of her parents and their friend. They sound so familiar. Sombra, Nozomi, and Nita… Where have I heard those names…?" Cream closed her eyes in deep thought. Did she know them? Aika said Sombra was from Homura City, so it's a possibility.

"M-M-Mom?" I stuttered. I managed to say it just a second ago, maybe I can do it normally now.

"Cobalt… You don't have to force yourself to call me that. I know it's hard on you."

"B-But you've been so kind to me and treat me like your own. Y-You've been so motherly, M-M-M-Mom…" I stuttered again. Why is it so difficult? I want to call her Mom. She is my Mom.

Crea—no, M-Mom placed a hand on my head and petted me gently and smiled. "It's okay Son. Just give it more time, don't force yourself. I'm okay with you calling me Cream, so please don't worry about it." She smiled happily, but I know behind that kind expression lies an Audino that truly wants to be a mother.

"A-Alright, Cream…" I sigh sadly, "I'm sorry."

Cream shook her head silently, showing that I have nothing to apologize for. I tried to smile back, but she suddenly gasped.

"I-I remember now!" Cream's face lit up. "Oh, I just thought of a really good idea! Come on Cobalt, we need to find Arylide!" Cream grabbed me by the paw and together we ran outside, in search for the Queen.

_M-Ms. Arylide? But what about Aika…?_

* * *

Aika's POV

It's completely dark outside now. The sun has set, and now the moon shines above the city. The streetlights lined along the roads and sidewalks illuminated the way for the few Pokémon that still remained outside. Most Pokémon are probably inside their warm homes and spending time with their families, and yet here I am, running away from the first friends I've made since that tragic day.

_My parents are dead…_

That single sentence replayed in my mind over and over as I ran. I didn't know where I was going; I just wanted to get away from everyone, especially Cobalt…

_Cobalt's parents killed my parents…_

After running aimlessly for what seemed like hours, I suddenly find myself in front of that alley I've called my home for almost a year now. I stood there in complete darkness. This is surpassingly the bad side of town, so there weren't as many lights around here. I took one glance back to see if anyone was following me before sighing.

"I guess they gave up. Good. I-I don't need anyone…" I lowered my head and took a step into the pitch black alley.

I reached the end of dark alley and stood in front of the wall of boxes and garbage cans that I set up to hide my home. I stepped forward and opened the one box that can be opened from the outside. Exhausted, I immediately go to the pile of dirty pillows and blankets and plop onto my makeshift bed.

As I lied there with my eyes closed, my mind replayed today's dreadful events. Today was supposed to be a happy and fun day, how did it end up like this? I was supposed to finally make some friends and have fun at Cobalt's birthday party. But instead I got caught, revealed all my secrets, and yelled at the birthday boy.

_I yelled at Cobalt… I yelled at that kind and thoughtful Riolu that reached out to me…_

Again, I felt my eyes start to water up. I've done nothing but cry today and my eyes are in pain. My parents are dead. …But I already knew that. They would've come gotten me by now if they were still alive. I knew from the beginning that they we doomed and they knew too. That's why they told me to run. But… being told straight to your face that your parents are more than likely dead… I just couldn't take it…

And so I took it out on Cobalt. He had nothing to do with it. He's innocent, like me. We were both victims to the Demon's Fang. It's not his parents' fault. They were only trying to defend themselves.

_And yet… I still yelled at him…_

I need to think about what to do now. I can't stay in Homura City anymore. They know I'm a thief, but where do I go? I have nowhere to go, but I need to get out of here as soon as possible.

I got up from my makeshift bed and looked at my belongings. All I had were books, including the ones I wrote, and my depleting food supply. I also still had a few candles left. Luckily, since my dad was a Houndoom, I know the move Fire Fang, so I didn't need a lighter.

I grabbed my backpack and starting filling it up. I went through my piles of books, trying to decide which ones I want to take with me; it'd be impossible to carry all of them. After a long period of mental debating, I stuffed the rest of my belongings and threw my heavy sack onto my back. I gave my abandoned books one last look and gave an exasperated sigh.

_I'm really leaving, just when things were about to change for the better. Cobalt, I'm sorry for yelling at you… And Princess… Princess Auburn, I'm sorry that I didn't give you a chance sooner._

"Aika?" I nearly had a heart attack as I squealed and jumped in the air at sudden sound of someone calling out my name. "A-Aika?! Are you okay?!"

"W-W-Who's there?!" I already knew who it was. I recognized this male voice… _Why did you come after me…?_

"I-It's me, Cobalt. C-Cream's here too…" _What?! _"Can you come out please?"

"…Go away." _No, don't…_

"Aika, dear, please come out." A gentle, motherly voice resounded behind the wall of boxes and trash cans. _Cream…_

"P-please…just leave me alone…" _No, don't. I'm tired of being lonely…_

"A-Aika!" Cobalt shouted, the desperation obvious in his voice.

There was a long pause after that. I silently stood there behind that wall, my eyes staring at the ground. I hesitantly set down my backpack and slowly stepped out. It was dark, but I could see Cobalt with his adoptive mother behind him. "…What do you want?" _This is my chance…I just need to apologize…_

"We're…" Cobalt looked back at Cream, who gave him an approving nod, "We're continuing my birthday party!"

I stood there completely dumbfounded with my brow furrowed. "…W-What?" That certainly was not what I was expecting. I stared at Cobalt and Cream, who had wide smiles stuck on their faces, with confusion.

"Cobalt's birthday isn't over yet! It's gonna continue at the castle! Auburn's throwing a slumber party. She and her mother are currently gathering up everyone else!" Cream said rather cheerfully.

"Won't you come? Everyone's going to be there, and I'd love to have you join." Cobalt invited me in a just as equal cheerful tone.

"…T-This is a trap isn't it? You're just trying to get me back to the castle so you can throw me into jail huh?!" _No, I want to go…!_

"Why would I want to put one of my friends in jail?" Cobalt answered simply and straightforwardly. It was tough to tell, but it looked like Cobalt had a genuine smile on his face. Even after what I did…

"F-Friends…? You would still consider me a friend even after I yelled at you…?" I asked nervously. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks.

"Of course!" Again, he answered so simply, as if no thought was required.

"C-Cobalt… I-I…" I stuttered quietly, "F-Fine I g-g-guess I'll go…"

"You will?! Yay!" Cobalt cheered happily.

"T-They still don't know about me right?!"

"Yes, they don't know a thing. Don't worry about. Oh I'm so glad you agreed to come! Tonight's going to be so much fun!" Was me going really that important to him? I guess he really does care about me and think of me as a friend…

_Thank you, Cobalt…_

* * *

Auburn's POV

"Mom, is this really gonna work? Mint's mom is so strict!" I asked Mom as we headed to Mint's house. Cream told us her plan, and if everything goes well, something super exciting is gonna happen tomorrow morning! Cream also suspected that Aika may try to leave the city, so we needed her to stay, hence the slumber party! Mom and I have already gathered everyone else and all that's left is Mint.

"I'm sure even Sana won't defy her Queen!" Mom said haughtily with her snout up in the air, "Or, at least I hope so. I'm sure if she sees all of Mint's friends there she'll budge…maybe..."

"I hope so…" I said quietly.

"Is Aika really going to be there though?" Tangelo asked. "She didn't show up to Cobalt's party. I thought you guys convinced her somehow yesterday?"

"A-Ah, umm, d-don't worry about it!" I stuttered nervously. _Hopefully Tangelo won't get sus—_

"If you stutter like that it only makes it more suspicious!" _Crap._

"Don't question it, stupid!" I ignored my dumb cousin, which he responded with an eye roll. _Whew, that was close. I want to tell them everything, especially what happened earlier, but Cream and us all agreed to tell them tomorrow. _"Just… don't worry about it. I'm sure Cobalt will convince her to come!"

"I truly hope so. I must ask her why she entered that dark alley yesterday!" Masello nodded.

"By the way," I looked to my side and noticed Maple was walking pretty close to my side with a strange expression on her face. "Maple, are you okay? You're pretty close to me and you look kinda freaked out."

"H-Huh?!" Maple gasped, "O-Oh it's n-nothing!" She jumped away and laughed nervously, "But gee, it sure is d-dark out here don't you t-think? I hope we can hurry up and get to the castle! A-Ahaha…" _Now THAT was odd. She couldn't possibly be…_

"Maple are you scar—"

"Oh, I JUST can't wait to get the party started!" She cut me off before I could finish, just fueling my suspicions even more.

"I concur!" Masello added, "I simply adore slumber parties! …Even if I haven't been to one myself!" Masello giggled. I noticed Maple give off a sigh, probably due to our happy-go-luck party friend changing the subject.

"B-But does it have to be a party? I j-just want to sleep…" Tea yawned. It took her a bit of convincing to come as she was already sleeping, but she eventually admitted defeat. I really don't get why she sleeps so much…

"But it's not even that late yet!" Tangelo exclaimed. "You sleep waaaay too much!" I nodded in agreement with my cousin.

"B-But…m-my sleep…zzzz…" Tea started to slow down, both in speech and moving. _I-Is she really falling asleep?!_

"Oh come on, my ghostly chum, you must stay awake!" Masello began nudging on Tea and pushing her forward so she'd keep walking.

"F-Five more minutes…" Tea eventually fell on the ground and used her Ghost-type powers to become transparent, causing Masello to fall on the ground with lava slowly spewing out of his hump.

"PFFFT!" I covered my mouth to avoid laughing out loudly. Maple let out a loud snort, also trying her best not to burst into laughter.

"Ahahaha! Really Masello? Do you always have to fall?! Hahaha!" Tangelo, on the other hand, put no effort in hiding his laughter and teased his best friend like he always does. Maple and I couldn't take it anymore and joined Tangelo's laughing spree.

"S-Shut up! It's not my fault she's a s-stupid Ghost-type!" Masello shouted, his face completely flushed in red. He helped himself up, brushed off his legs, and coolly continued heading onwards, haughtily walking past his laughing friends. "What are you all waiting for?! Hurry up!"

"Hahaha a-alright, l-let's go…hahaha!" I wiped a tear from laughing so hard and walked up to Tea's transparent body. "Haha...C-C'mon Tea…hah…we gotta go get Mint now!"

"Hmm? B-But, the ground is…so comfortable…zzz…"

"But the blankets and pillows in my room are waaaaaaaaay more comfortable! And the faster we get Mint, the faster you can sleep on them!"

Tea lazily looked up at me and yawned, "Well, o-okay then…" She tiredly got back up from the ground and lethargically continued walking.

"My, you kids sure have are energetic!" Mom commented, "It's so nice to see that Auburn has so many friends!" She teased.

"Mooooom, I can hear you!" I grumbled.

"Good!" She winked and giggled. _Geeze Mom!_

Shortly after that little incident, we stood in front of a manor-sized building that Mint calls her home. Ever since Ms. Sana was promoted as the head doctor at the city's main hospital that I never go to, Mint said her mom makes a lot more money, which in return means they can afford a freakishly large house. I've seen the outside, but I've never actually been inside. Mom, Tea, and I stood there completely unfazed, but I wish I could say the same as the rest of my friends.

"T-T-T-This is Mint's house?! Holy Arceus it's HUGE!" Maple shouted in complete awe.

"I-I-I concur, my c-chum! I've never seen a house this big!" Masello agreed.

"While I'm used to Auburn's giant castle, I have to say this is still a real shocker!" Tangelo said in a less surprised voice.

"Y-You should see t-the inside…" Tea yawned, still exhausted. _How can someone be so tired—wait what?!_

"Tea, you've been inside?!" I practically shouted.

"Y-Yeah…" Tea said tiredly as if it were nothing. Well it may seem like nothing to anyone else, but Mint's supposed to be my best friend!

"Anyway, I'm ringing the doorbell now." Mom walked through the path in their front yard and stopped in front of the door, with my friends following not too far behind.

"W-Wait, how come she's never let me in her house…?" I stood there alone, a bit sad that Tea's been inside. I closed my eyes shut and shook my head, "Ah, whatever!" I got rid of all the negative thoughts that swarmed my head on why Mint never invited me inside and ran up to join everyone at the door.

"Who could be visiting at this hou—Ah!" The door slowly opened to reveal Mint's mom, Ms. Sana. "Y-Y-Your Majesty! And Your Highness! And…a bunch of other kids? H-How may I help you?" Ms. Sana bowed hastily.

"Hello Sana. We are continuing Cobalt's birthday party at the castle. We are throwing a slumber party and would greatly appreciate it if Mint could join her friends for the activities." Mom turned her attention to us and smiled.

"Cobalt? You mean _her_ son? And at the castle? Absolutely not. I already allowed Mint to go to that party. It's late and Mint has things she must attend to." Ms. Sana declined rather harshly. _Why is she always so mean to Cream?!_

"Come on, pleeeeaaaase?" Tangelo begged.

"Ma'am, the party simply would not be the same if all my chums weren't there!" Masello added.

"Masello is right! It wouldn't be the same without Mint!" Maple agreed.

"M-Ms. Sana…w-w-won't you l-let Mint go?" Even Tea asked, though she sounded half asleep…

"Mint's my best friend! And she's also Cobalt's friend! Please, please, PLEASE let Mint come?" I was practically at the verge of tears; We all wanted Mint to go!

Ms. Sana's face became slightly flushed and she flinched back. "I-I already made up my mind! N-Now, if—"

"Mother? Who's at the door?" Mint suddenly appeared behind her mom, causing Ms. Sana to gasp. "Huh…? Auburn? Ms. Arylide? And everyone…? W-What's going on?"

"Mint!" I shouted, "We're continuing Cobalt's birthday and having a slumber party with everyone! Even Aika's gonna be there! And your mom isn't letting you go!"

"Auburn!" Mom scolded at me, but I didn't care. I wanted my best friend to join us!

"A-A slumber party? F-F-For C-C-C-C-obalt?" Mint's face became red for some reason, "Wait, did you say Aika?!" I nodded to confirm her. "M-Mother! May I please go?"

"Mint, you already spent the entire day goofing off! I cannot allow you to go!" Ms. Sana sternly rejected her daughter's pleas. The look on Mint's face was completely heartbreaking…

"A-Ah…yes, y-you're right…" Mint dropped her head, completed defeated. She didn't even bother begging or questioning her mom… "S-Sorry guys…" Mint's body started shivering as she stuttered an apology. It sounded as if she was trying to fight back tears… _Is she really not gonna try to beg? Her respect for her mother is kinda admirable, but this is ridiculous!_

"C'mon M-Mint! Can't you try harder?!"

"Your Highness, please stay out o—"

"Oh for Arceus' sake Sana!" Mom suddenly shouted angrily and interrupted Ms. Sana. Everyone gasped and looked up at her in complete shock. Mom's composure was entire gone and she was absolutely fed up.

"M-Mom…?" I whispered. _Uh-oh, Mom's angry…_ When Mom gets really, really, REALLY angry (which rarely happens) …well it's not pretty.

"What is your problem Sana?! Are you really still that fed up with what happened that you would sacrifice your own daughter's happiness?! She's only 9 years old! She NEEDS to be playing with her friends, NOT stuck in her home studying all day! Can't you see how badly these kids want to play?! Will you PLEASE let go of the past for just one second and put your child's happiness before that!?" Mom ranted angrily, her brow furrowed and her red eyes showing nothing but annoyance.

"W-Whoa…"

"O-Oh my…"

"A-Aunt A-Arylide…?"

My friends and I were completely dumbfounded, but the one that was in most shock was Ms. Sana. Her eyes were as wide as they could be, and her jaw dropped completely. She slowly took a step back with, and her entire body began to shake. Beads of sweat began to drip down her now bright red cheeks.

"I-I…" Ms. Sana muttered.

Mom finally realized that she went a bit out of control again and cleared her throat. A blush began to form at her cheeks as well. "A-Ahem, I'm sorry Sana… I didn't mean to yell like that, but I meant everything I said. I know you have a thing against Cream and I, but you shouldn't get Mint mixed up in it."

"I-I…just…just make sure she's back tomorrow before noon…" Ms. Sana said with her head down, avoiding eye contact with Mom. "Mint, go ahead and get your things ready…" Ms. Sana sighed. "…Sorry Your Majesty." And with that Ms. Sana left.

"I…can go? I can go! Thank you so much Mother!" Mint bowed quickly, "I'll be right back guys!" Mint smiled happily and closed the door, but it soon opened again quickly. "A-And thank you, Ms. Arylide!"

"Ah, I only said what needed to be said. That Sana is even more stubborn than me and Auburn combined!" Mom laughed, placing a paw on my head and rubbing my curls.

"H-Hey!" I complained. Everyone else joined Mom's laughter. I gave up and giggled along, giving my mom a cheeky grin. "Heh, t-thanks Mom…" I hugged with happily.

"Anything for the Princess of the Fire Kingdom!" She playfully winked and returned the hug.

* * *

Cobalt's POV

"H-Hey, Cobalt…?" Aika suddenly spoke up. The three of us were on our way to the castle, which was quite far from the alley that Aika called home.

"Yeah?"

"I-I-I…I'm sorry for yelling at you… I-I know it wasn't your fault or your p-parents' fault…" Aika stuttered and spoke quietly with her ears dropped and head lowered. "I m-mean, I knew my parents were probably already d-d-dead, a-and yet I…"

"O-Oh…" I said quietly. I was at a loss of words from the sudden apology. "Um, i-it's fine, don't worry about it!"

"No it's not fine! You were trying to be kind and understanding, AND it's your birthday too! I know I hurt you! I saw the look on your face!"

"Aika, I…" Again, I was at a loss for words. It's true that what she said really hurt, but I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt me. I mean, she's apologizing after all!

"Aika dear," Cream said calmly, "It's okay! You've gone through a lot today, and after hearing that news, it only makes sense your emotions would be running wild."

"But—"

"No buts!"

"O-Okay, but I'm still sorry…"

"No problem dear! Apology accepted, right Cobalt?" Cream said happily with her gentle and motherly voice.

"O-Of course! Don't worry about it!" I smiled at Aika, who returned the smile with a flushed face._ It looks like I'm finally starting to reach out to her!_

"Hey, I think we're almost there!" Cream pointed out in the distance. Just in the horizon was that grand and magnificent castle with the blazing red flags blowing in the wind. "Let's pick up the pace! I'm sure all your friends are waiting for you!"

"F-Friends…" Aika whispered to herself.

I took a couple of steps forward and giggled happily. "Hehe that's right! Let's go Aika!" I turned around and motioned her to follow.

"Y-Yeah!"

When we reached the castle gate the three of us were greeted by one of the Infernape guards. "Oh, Ms. Cream, Cobalt. A-and t-t-he thie—err, I-I-I mean Aika! I've been expecting you all! Follow me, Her Majesty is waiting at the entrance." We followed the Infernape, with Cream giggling at his little mess up with Aika, through the gardens and into the castle, where Ms. Arylide greeted us.

"Good evening everyone. Ah, I see you were successful at your invitation. I'm glad you could make it Aika."

"T-T-Thank you, Y-Your Majesty…" Aika surprising bowed and thanked her politely.

"Oh, now this is a different side of the Poochyena I met earlier!" Ms. Arylide laughed. Cream laughed with her friend while I stood there in awe. _Maybe Aika really was just too shy like I thought after all and is only now showing her real self!_

"S-Sorry, Your Majesty, f-for everything…" Aika apologized, her face completely red like how it always gets.

"Oh, please do not worry about it. And also, Ms. Arylide is fine. It bothers me to hear 'Your Highness' from such young children!"

"O-Okay, M-Ms. Arylide." Aika nodded.

"Good! Now let's get going! Everyone's waiting for you in Auburn's room!" Ms. Arylide headed to the stairs and gestured her to follow.

As we headed up to Auburn's room, I couldn't help but be amazed at how majestic the castle was. I've already had a tour from the Princess herself, but…it's just so majestic! I looked over at Aika and I noticed that she had her mouth opened and her eyes were gleaming, her reaction similar to mine the last time I was here.

"It's pretty grand, isn't it?"

"H-Huh? Oh, um…" Aika blinked, her face starting to grow red again, "Y-Yeah it is… I've written and read stories about castles and how beautiful they are, b-but I never imagined just how…majestic they really are!"

"Right?! I know exactly how you feel!" I agreed with her and together we laughed.

"So you said you like to write stories right? You don't if I read some of them do you? I'd love to meet your other friends."

"H-H-H-Huh?! I-I mean…I-If you w-want…" I laughed at how nervous she got. Aika looked at me with a deep red blush stuck on her face and tried to work up a smile. Again, I'm so relieved to have made a new friend. I could hear Cream and Ms. Arylide giggling as well as making comments on how happy and cute we are, causing Aika to blush even harder. _She sure is shy. I've never seen anyone blush so much before!_

"I hate to break the fun you two are having, but we're here." Ms. Arylide teased and then proceeded to knock on Auburn's bedroom door. "Auburn? You have more guests!"

I heard a loud gasp come from the other side of the door and almost instantly Auburn opened the door. "Cobalt! And, ohmigosh, Aika! You're here! You're really, really here!" Auburn shouted while jumping with joy. I swear she never runs out of energy!

"Y-Y-Yeah, I am! D-D-Don't get the wrong idea, I'm here b-b-because of C-Coba—H-Hey!"

Auburn cut her off and quickly dragged Aika into her room. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever you say! Come in, come in!"

"You don't have to drag me, you stupid Princess!" Aika's voice slowly faded as she was dragged farther away from us.

"Oh my." Cream laughed nervously. "Looks like you're in for an exciting night Cobalt! Anyway, I'll be back tomorrow morning. Hopefully everything goods accordingly to plan."

"I'm certain it will work out smoothly. Now, let us be on our way Cream. We've got some work to do!" Ms. Arylide nodded. "Have a good night kids! Auburn, your father will be checking in on you later!"

"Good night!" I waved to the two adults as they walked away. _And good luck. Please let everything go accordingly!_

"Cobaaaaalt! Come on, help us make our beds!" Auburn shouted.

"Okaaay!" I shouted back, closed the door, and ran to my friends.

Everyone was gathered at the center of Auburn's gigantic room. The majority of her toys and things have been moved to the side, so there was a giant empty space. It looked like everyone was placing blankets on the ground along with pillows and stuffed Pokémon dolls.

"Hey guys!" I greeted.

"Yo!" Tangelo waved. Maple also gave me a simple greeting with a wave.

"Ah, the birthday boy is finally here! Now the party can really start!" Masello cheered.

"H-Hi…" Tea yawned. _Why am I not surprised she's sleepy?_

"C-Cobalt! G-Good evening!" Mint bowed.

"Mint! I'm so glad you were able to come! We weren't sure if you'd be able to make it!" I bowed back at her happily.

Mint gasped a little and looked away, which she seems to be doing often lately. "Y-Yeah… I'm glad to be here! It's all thanks to Ms. Arylide!" She chuckled happily and smiled warmly.

I helped out set up our sleeping area, spreading out soft blankets and piling up the fluffy pillows. It didn't take long for us to get everything set up.

"All done! Now it's time to decide where to sleep! I want this spot" Auburn ran to one of the spots in the middle. There were two rows blankets and pillows set, with each row having four blanket beds. "Cobalt you can sleep on this side," Auburn pointed to her left, which would mean I would have the end, "and Aika you can have this side!"

"Okay." I nodded and walked over to my spot.

"W-W-Wait why do I have to sleep next to you?!" Aika pouted.

"And why do you get to hog Cobalt to yourself? What if I want to sleep next to him?" Maple complained then looked at Mint for her approval, "Don't you agree Mint?"

"H-H-HUH?!" Mint practically screamed, her entire face flushed a deep red, "I-I-I t-t-think i-i-it's f-fine! I-I-I don't care if I sleep next t-to C-C-C-C-C-COBALT! Y-Yeah! Ah…hahaha!"

"Uh, oh-kay?" Maple looked at Mint with a strange expression. "You guys agree, right?"

"Uh sure I guess." Tangelo shrugged. "Auburn, you're forcing Cobalt into doing things again!" He shouted in a teasing voice.

"Oh come on guys, it's not like I'm hogging him to myself or anything!" Auburn tried defending herself and raised her paws up, trying to look innocent. It didn't work though, as she was answered with silent glares. "F-Fine, Cobalt switch with Aika so you can be in the center too…"

"H-Hold on, I still never said I wanted to sleep next to you Auburn!" Aika again complained about her sleeping spot. _Why is everyone making such a big deal over this?! _I sighed.

"Oh come on Aika, don't be like that! We're friends! Buddies! Pals! Practically besties, right guys?" Auburn said happily.

"That's right! You are all my dearest chums that I wouldn't trade for the world!" Masello walked up to Aika and gave her a playful nudge. "…Unless that world was made of food. Then maybe…No! No I wouldn't!" _Masello sure does love his food…_

"Just give up already Aika! You're stuck with us!" Tangelo joined Masello and put a foreleg over Aika.

"Like Auburn said to me, the more the merrier!" Maple winked.

"I would definitely love to be friends with you, if you don't mind." Mint said politely. "Right Tea—Ah, Tea wake up! We're having an important friendly moment here!" Mint began freaking out and rushed to wake up our ghostly friend that was already fast asleep on one of the blanket beds.

"H-Huh? Uh y-yeah…f-friends…zzz…" Tea managed to mumble. The room was filled with laughter at Mint's frustration to keep her friend awake.

Aika's face lit up at everyone's acts and words of friendship and her eyes glistened. "F-F-Friends…" She said quietly before wiping a tear from her eye, "I-I-I-I g-g-guess we can b-be f-f-f-friends…" Aika quickly shifted her bright red face away from us.

_*Knock knock!* _"You kids doing fine in there? I'm coming in!" The door opened revealing the King who was holding a bag. "I brought some snacks! Though it's almost bedtime…ah whatever! Haha!" Mr. Cain laughed to himself loudly.

"Oh Dad! Perfect timing!" Auburn ran up to her father.

"Yes, perfect indeed! I am starving!" Masello said excitedly and followed Auburn, causing weird looks from her.

"What, no! Masello that's NOT why it's perfect timing!

"What?! B-But food!" Masello cried with his head down.

"Okay whatever, here take the snacks! I need to tell Dad something, so go away for a sec!" Auburn grabbed the bag from Mr. Cain and threw it at Masello.

"W-Whoa you must be gentle with food! Or else it could fall and get all dirty!" Masello caught the bag and scolded Auburn. He then ran over back to us and proceeded to dig into the cookies and other snacks in the bag. "Oh these cookies are absolutely delicious!"

"H-Hey, you better share those!" Maple pouted and tried pushing Masello away from the bag, "I bet Aika wants some too!"

"W-What?!" Aika jumped slightly and looked away, "I-I-I m-mean, I g-guess…"

"Anyway, Dad…" Auburn whispered something to her father.

"…Hmm? Oh, that does sound like fun! Yeah sure I don't have a problem with it, though your Mother might…but it's a good thing she's not here! Hehe!" Mr. Cain giggled. "I'll get you all set up!" He winked and left the room.

"Auburn, what was that all about?" Mint asked suspiciously.

Auburn looked at us mischievously and laughed. "Oh, you'll see!"

* * *

"Oh man, I can't believe we're actually doing this! I've wanted to do this for the longest time!" Auburn shouted while running and jumping around her room excitedly. A red balloon was tied around her and it bounced in sync with her jumping. It turns out Auburn's little plan was to play some sort of survival competition game. "Okay, I'll go over the rules one last time!

We'll be in teams of two and will be playing on this entire floor! Everyone will have a balloon tied around them, a map, a flashlight, and a pillow for fighting and defending! The goal is to pop each other's balloons! No using any real attacks, but you can try to pop the balloon by scratching or biting it or whatever. The team standing wins! The battlegrounds will have all the lights off, so if a hall or room has a light on, it's off-limits! As we lose our balloons, more lights will be turned on so that the game doesn't drag on. Got it?"

"Dude, this game sounds awesome!" Tangelo shouted excitedly, a yellow ballooned tied around him. "And with someone as formidable as Aika on my team, we're definitely gonna win!" He looked over at his partner with gleaming eyes, causing Aika to flinch back nervously.

"W-Wha…I mean, I g-guess… If I have to play this dumb game, I may as well try to win…"

"While I agree this game sounds quite enjoyable," Masello added, a green balloon tied around him, "It may prove difficult if my partner is already asleep…" He looked on the ground where a sleeping Litwick with a green balloon also tied around her slept. "Tea, get up, we're about to plaaaaaaaaay!" He tried budging her awake, but failed with no luck. "Why did she also have to draw the green ticket…" Masello sighed.

"Haha, that's the luck of the draw I guess!" Maple laughed. She had a blue balloon tied around her, the same color as mine.

"You just say that because you got Cobalt on your team!" Auburn shouted, glaring at Maple.

"Don't be jealous!" Maple teased. "Besides, you got Mint! Her psychic powers will probably come in handy in this game!"

"I'll do my best to support you, Auburn!" Mint saluted. She surprisingly seems excited to be playing this. I don't blame her, this game does sound pretty fun!

"Yeah, your teasing won't work on me when I got Mint on my side!" Auburn stuck her tongue out at Maple.

Mr. Cain, who got all the balloons and everything set up, laughed with that burly voice of his, "Everyone sure is fired up! If you're ready to go, go ahead and get to your designated starting room! Remember to come back here when you lose your balloon so I can keep track of the lighting and stuff."

"Yes! Let's go Mint! Go Team Red!" Auburn grabbed her partner's arm and dragged her out of the bedroom and into the dark hallway.

"You don't have to drag meeeeee!"

"Oh Tea, please wake up! I want to play too!" Masello begged his partner.

Tea, surprisingly, got up and groggily rubbed her eyes. "_*Yawn*_ I'm up, I'm up… I-I'll do my best Masello…" She yawned again, which Masello replied with a sigh before Team Green left.

"Haha, this is gonna be awesome. We are SO gonna win this!" Tangelo laughed and left the room.

"Hmph, there's no way I'm going to lose now that I've gotten serious!" Aika responded and followed Tangelo, but stopped right before she exited and looked back at me. "Cobalt, you better not lose before you go against me!"

"Hah, I'll do my best." I nodded and gave her a confident glance. She nodded back and left to follow her partner.

"You've grown pretty close to Aika. How'd you do that?" Maple asked, tilting her head to the side cutely. She and everyone else still don't know about Aika's living conditions or what happened after my birthday party at the park, so I suppose I don't blame her for being surprised.

"Ahaha, a lot has happened…" I rubbed the back of my head and laughed nervously, only causing more confusion to my partner. "Anyway, we don't want Team Blue to get behind, so shall we get going?" I headed to the exit, but looked back to see that Maple wasn't following me. "Maple, what's wrong?"

"U-Um, I j-just realized something. I-It's pretty dark in those halls…"

"Yeah, and?" I tilted my head. "We have these flashlights for a reason!"

"I-I-I-I know, b-but…" Maple was acting really strange. Could she be…?

"Maple, are you scar—"

"A-Ah!" Maple cut me off and ran out to the hallway. "L-Let's go Cobalt! G-Go Team B-Blue!"

"Yeah…" I walked out of the room and into the hall, leaving Mr. Cain by himself in Auburn's room, who was laughing at how young and energetic we were or whatever the adults always say.

"Let's see…" I quietly said as I held out the map of this floor. The map had markings of where each team was starting and what part of the floor was considered the battleground. There were rooms at each corner of the floor, and that room would be each team's starting point. Once each of those four rooms turned on their lights, Mr. Cain will give us a signal and the game would start. "Looks like we start here in this study room down the hall. Let's go." I closed the map and put it away and started walking down the hall.

"O-Okay…" Maple whispered nervously. She was walking extremely close to me; I could practically feel her fur scraping against me.

"Maple, you're scared of the dark aren't you?" I asked bluntly, but only because she cut me off last time.

"W-W-What? M-Me? N-No way! Absolute n-no w-w-way!" She tried defending herself. I stopped and stared at her blankly, causing her to sweat nervously. "Okay fine, yes I am. Go ahead and laugh!"

"Why would I laugh?"

"Because it's stupid?"

"No it's not. The dark is really scary. You have no idea how scary it is to be out in the wild in the dark with no light…" I sighed and looked down on the ground sadly. _Oh no, I didn't mean to bring that up…I don't want to remember those days…_

"C-C-Cobalt…I-I'm sorry…"

"No, don't. It's not your fault. Here, let me make adjust your flashlight." I went ahead and made the flashlight attached to Maple's head (the same one that my quadrupedal friends have) brighter and set mine on the brightest setting. "Having it at its brightest setting will make us easier targets, but I'll make sure to protect us. And if it's brighter you'll be more calm and be able to defend and fight back more easily!" I smiled happily to my Fennekin friend.

Maple gasped and her eyes widened. "C-Cobalt!" Maple closed her eyes and smiled cutely, her face slightly flushed, "Thanks! You're like my own knight in shining armor!"

"K-Knight in shining armor?!" I don't know why, but the thought of that made my face blush and gave me some weird feeling inside... "U-Umm, yeah! I g-guess so! Haha! You can count on me to protect you, but first we have to go turn on our light!" I laughed nervously. _That was…weird. What was that…?_

"Right!"

* * *

Tangelo's POV

Every team made it to their starting positions and Uncle Cain gave us the signal to start the game. The lights in the hallways and in some of the rooms of the castle were turned off and it was completely dark. Aika suggested that we kept the flashlights on our heads as low as possible to avoid being spotted.

"We have to keep low and sneak as carefully as possible if we want to win this." Aika instructed as she crawled down the halls. _She's really getting into this. I'm impressed! That's pretty cool, especially for a girl._

"You seem to know what you're doing. It's almost as if you've done something like this before! You'd make a pretty good thief, haha!" I laughed. Aika however didn't take my compliments well, as she stopped her crawling for a moment and lowered her head. "Um, Aika? Did I say something wrong?"

"N-No…" She said quietly, "You're talking to loudly, keep quiet!" Aika scolded me in an irritated voice. _Crap I think I did say something bad!_

"S-Sorry…"

"It's fine. Just watch my back."

"Roger." I answered quietly, trying to get back into the mood of this exciting game after messing things up with Aika.

The two of us continued to patrol the halls of the castle's top floor (where all the bedrooms are located, including Auburn's) in absolute silence. It was fun and exciting and all, but I couldn't help but feel like the air between me and Aika was heavy and awkward. She said she'd be friends with us, but it doesn't really like it right now. _Huh, why did she suddenly agree to being friends all of the sudden? How is she so friendly with Cobalt too?_

"Say, Aika?" I decided to voice out my thoughts. She looked back at me, without saying a word, her pink eyes staring at me, making me nervous. "Er…I-I was just wondering, why'd you suddenly decide to get all friendly with us?"

"H-Huh?!" She gasped and her face grew red, which I've happens a lot. "I-I-I…u-umm…" She began to shift her paws around and avoided eye contact with me. She seems to get embarrassed really, REALLY, easily, so I decided to have some fun with it.

"Heh, you sure do get nervous and stutter a lot. It's pretty cute! It makes me want to protect you!" I winked at her, trying to act cool and manly.

…

"W-W-W-W-W-WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" She screamed at the top of her lungs and her face was now entirely a deep shade of red. _Haha, bingo! But…I guess it really is kinda cu—wait no what am I thinking?!_

"Pffft! Hahaha, oh man that was a GREAT reaction!" I laughed out loudly, "Haha, oh man I didn't expect you to scream like that! Haha!"

I expected her to get all angry and call me stupid or something, but instead she did something I absolutely was not expecting. Aika lowered her ears, and looked down with her shoulders completely slumped in sadness. "O-Oh, y-you were kidding…? You don't think I'm c-cute?" She looked back up at me, her pink eyes shining with tears in them, giving me really cute and innocent puppy dog eyes.

"W-Wha…h-huh!? I-I…umm..w-well, I mean…I g-guess…I-I-I…" I was in complete shock and couldn't even speak properly. Now it was my turn to have my ears lowered and face completely red. _W-Was she serious?! I-I mean—_

Aika's sad expression soon disappeared and her cheeks puffed up. "Pfffft! Ah..ahahaha!" _Oh she did not just…_

"…R-Really now?" I said in an unamused voice. I can't believe she turned the tables on me like that! _This girl is evil._

"Haha, s-sorry…" Aika wiped a tear as she finished laughing. "I-I…umm…hah…" She looked at me and smiled. I felt my face grow even redder, surprised to see her actually smile, but I quickly shook it off and smiled back.

"Hey, you smiled at me! I think this is the first time you've smiled at me." _And it really is pretty cute, but I'd never admit that! _"It's finally starting to feel like we're friends!" I widened my smile.

"H-Huh?! I-I m-mean I g-g-guess so…" She gasped and looked away. "F-Friends…" She whispered to herself quietly, the joy in her voice obvious. It made me happy to see her being happy and friendly for once.

Suddenly, however, Aika looked back at me with a serious glance. "Uh-oh, I think we were too loud. I smell someone nearby. Quick, get down!" Aika ordered me and turned off her light. "I'm turning my light off. I can rely on my nose. Hopefully it's Team Green. They seem the easiest to knock out."

"I'd rather go against Masello than Auburn too, and I'm sure Mint has some tricks planned…" I followed her instructions and went on the ground. We continued to crawl slowly and quietly, the only noise being Aika's sniffing. That is, until the sound of a balloon popping intruded the silence. I looked up to see my balloon was popped. "W-What the?!"

"Tangelo?!" Aika shouted and turned around. She gasped at the sight of my balloon no longer floating above me and my attacker standing behind me. "M-Mint?! How—" Aika cut herself off to duck, a red flash quickly jumping over her and missing her balloon.

"Aw, man! I missed!" Auburn whined. "But wow Mint, that was SO cool!"

"T-Team Red?!" Aika and I exclaimed simultaneously.

"That's right!" Auburn answered proudly and puffed up her chest. "And now it's time to wipe out Team Yellow!" She swiftly leaped in the air, her claws exposed and ready to "kill."

"A-Aika!" I panicked. Since my balloon was popped I had to stand there and watch my team mate fall.

Aika gasped, but surprisingly remained calm. Just as Auburn made contact to her balloon, Aika used her pillow to block Auburn just in the nick of time.

"W-What?!" Auburn shouted in complete shock. Her attack was completely nullified and she lost her balance as she fell face first on the ground. _Ooh, that looked painful…_ "Oooooowwwww! That hurt!" Auburn began rubbing her snout to relieve the pain.

"Sorry Princess Auburn, but you lose." Aika said coolly and with a swift swipe of her paw popped Auburn's red balloon.

"Noooooooooooooooooooo!" Auburn shouted overdramatically, thrashing around and pouting like a child that can't get what they want. However, she suddenly stopped and grinned. "Heh!"

I furrowed my brow and was at a loss for Auburn's strange behavior before I realized Mint wasn't where she was standing anymore. I furiously began looking around, desperately trying to find where she went only to see her suddenly appear behind Aika. "AIKA!"

"I know!" Aika said confidently and jumped away, dodging Mint's pillow attack at the last second, causing both Auburn and Mint to gasp. "Gotcha!" Aika grinned and popped Mint's red balloon with her claws.

"Ah—" Mint muttered and fell to her knees. "Heh, very…impressive… I'm sorry Auburn, I failed…you…" Mint dropped her pillow and collapsed on top of it in a very dramatic manner, though the pillow kinda ruined it… "F-Forgive me, P-Princess…"

"Y-You did your b-best, my friend…" Auburn murmured quietly and slowly closed her eyes, pretending to die. Aika and I stood there and glared daggers at them silently.

"You guys are idiots." Aika stated bluntly and kicked Auburn's side.

"Ow, hey! You need to treat the dead with respect!" Auburn complained.

"Oh, don't be like that guys, Auburn just wanted to have some fun!" Mint got up and laughed. "That was fun, but it looks like Team Red is the first to lose. Way to turn a dire situation around Aika! You guys gave yourselves away with your shouting, but in the end we still lost."

Aika's ears perked up at Mint's compliments and her face grew slightly red. "U-Um…t-t-thanks…"

"Man, I can't believe I lost!" Auburn whined, but then she grinned at me. "At least I wasn't the first to lose! Hehehe!"

"Hey!" I shouted angrily. "Whatever, I knew Mint was gonna have some tricks! You completely avoided Aika's sensitive nose!"

"Don't blame your weaknesses on me!" Mint scolded. _…Ouch. Mint really can be scary sometimes. _"Anyway, we better head back to your room Auburn. Good luck Aika!" _That's right, I can't follow Aika anymore now that I lost._

"O-Oh, looks like it's all up to you Aika…" I said sadly. "Heh, it was fun sticking by your side!"

"T-T-Tangelo…!" Aika blushed in embarrassment. "Y-Yeah…"

"Good luck Aika! Let's go guys." Auburn waved at my partner and the three of us headed back to Auburn's room to let Uncle Cain know that we lost.

I looked back at Aika to see her give me a confident smile. "T-Thanks! I'll win this for you Tangelo!"

My eyes widened slightly and nodded happily at her. "You better!"

* * *

Cobalt's POV

"AAH! W-WHAT WAS THAT?!" Maple screamed and clung onto me.

"A-ah! I-I don't know! B-But you're squeezing m-me…" I looked down to see Maple's eyes tightly shut. Someone just screamed out really loudly, and it freaked her out way more than it did me.

Maple looked up at me with big, innocent, teary eyes and jumped back. "O-Oh! I'm sorry Cobalt!" Maple looked away to hide her embarrassment. "I d-didn't mean to do that. Sorry!"

I rubbed the back of my head and chuckled, "Hah, i-it's fine. It wasn't as bad as Auburn's hugs, heh…" Maple looked at me and tried to force a cute smile, but I could tell she was still scared and embarrassed. "A-Anyway, we should look for the source of that shout. It has to be one of the opposing teams. I think it came from that way." I pointed deeper down the long and dark hallway. "Stay close, I'll protect you." I smiled at her and held out my paw.

"O-Okay…" Maple nodded reluctantly. She placed a paw on mine and smiled back, "You better keep that promise!"

"Yes ma'am!" I saluted. Maple gave a soft chuckle and nudged me playfully. _I'm glad I was able to cheer her up!_

The two of us continued down the hallway, passing by closed doors with unlit lamps hanging above us. I have to admit that this is a bit creepy, but also really exciting at the same time. A few of the doors had light shining through the cracks, and the halls that led to the other floors were completely lit, signaling that those areas were off-limits. _It's definitely comforting having Maple by my side, e-even if she's really, really close to my s-side…_

"Cobalt?"

"Wha—" I blinked at Maple's sudden call and noticed that we were about to run into a wall. "Huh?!" I stopped immediately and gasped.

"Are you okay? We're at a turn, but you kept walking forward. You looked like you would've ran into that wall if I didn't stop you!"

"O-Oh! I'm fine! I guess I was just spacing out!" I laughed nervously. _But why was I spacing out?_ I wondered.

Suddenly Maple gasped, "C-Can you hear that?" She whispered.

"W-What? I don't hear anything… And why are you whispering?" I whispered back. I remembered that despite all the fur inside, Maple's huge ears allow her to hear better than your average Pokémon, though it's nowhere near close to Cream's ability.

"There are voices coming out of a room nearby…" Maple shifted her view left and right, trying to find out where it's coming from. "Oh, maybe there? It's hard to tell, but that door isn't completely shut." She pointed at a room not too far down the hall, the flashlight on her head focusing on it.

I looked at where her flashlight pointed at and noticed that it was slightly open. It would've been impossible to notice with all the lights off, so I guess it's a good thing our lights are set on the brightest setting. "You're right. And there's no light coming from there, so it means it's part of the battlefield. Maybe an opposing team is in there. Let's check it out."

We slowly approached the door, tiptoeing as quietly as possible. Maple stayed close by like always. As we got closer to that slightly opened door, the voices behind it became more audible and grew louder, though as we got closer it became more distinct that rather than voices, it was just once voice, and that voice had a certain familiar accent behind it.

"…We have to get going chum! …Come on, please? Don't you want to play?!"

"That's definitely Masello." Maple whispered.

"I have a feeling I know what's going on in there." I answered back quietly. "I think this will be an easy victory. Stay here, I'll be real quick… But if I do need back up, I'll call for you, so be ready!" I gave a confident smile to Maple, which she nodded back in return.

I turned off my flashlight and slowly walked in. This room must've served as a guest bedroom based off the furniture and decorations inside. And as I expected, on the bed was a sleeping a Litwick with a green balloon floating above her. Masello was stomping on the ground as if he was having a tantrum, obviously frustrated that his partner is fast asleep. Due to the light from Tea's flame and Masello's own flashlight, there was enough light for me to see well enough.

"Tea, I beg of you, please wake up! I want to participate too, but I can't do it alone!" Masello begged, the frustration and desperation clear in his voice, though it seemed futile. His pleas were answered with nothing but snores. _Wow, I kinda feel bad for doing this…_ I now stood behind him and got into a jumping position.

Masello gave off one last stomp and shout, lava and smoke starting to ooze out his hump from his anger. "Ugh, FINE! I'll just play without you! Hmph! Team Green shall now be a one-man show—huh?"

_*Pop!*_

"W-W-W-What?!" Masello shouted out in shock. He looked behind his head to see his green balloon no longer floating, and instead saw me jumping over him and onto the bed Tea was sleeping on.

"Aaaannnnnddd…." I got my fist ready for a jab.

_*Pop!* _With a swift punch, Team Green was now eliminated.

"Noooo!" Masello dropped to the ground.

"H-Huh…?" Tea groggily opened her eyes.

"Tea we lost! And we didn't even do anything!" Masello cried.

Tea stared at Masello blankly for a second before yawning. "…Oh." And just like that, the Litwick was passed out on the bed snoozing the night away peacefully.

"Ah, how heartless…" Masello cried again. It looked like he was about to actually cry. He crawled towards me and starting pounding me lightly. "C-Cobalt, whhhhhhhhhyyyyyyy?!" _Oh man, now I really feel bad…_

"Er, um… I'm sorry?"

"Waaah, this is the worst! I wanted to play too!"

"Um…" Maple walked in and interrupted our crying friend. "Y-You can have my balloon…"

Masello stopped crying instantly and his expression and tone changed completely. "T-Truly?!"

"Yeah, sure. I-I just feel bad! …I-I'm not scared or a-anything! T-That's all! Ahahah!" Maple said unconvincingly, but luckily Masello was too happy to notice.

"Oh thank you so much, my good chum!" Masello bowed repeated.

"Maple…" I smiled at her. However, that smile was short lived as I noticed the something move in the shadows behind Maple. "M-Maple!"

"Huh?" Maple looked at me with confusion before a popping sound could be heard and the blue balloon that floated above Maple was no longer there.

"Ah—" Masello muttered as Aika landed in front of him.

"Just one left. Prepare yourself, Coba—"

"AIKAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! WHHHHHYYYYYYY?!" Masello cried at the top of his lungs.

Aika quickly lowered her ears and tried to cover them with her paws. "W-What?! Don't scream at me like that you…you stupid Numel with a stupid accent!" Aika snarled.

"I just wanted to play! Why'd you have to pop Maple's balloon just as she was about to give it to me?! A-And I am NOT stupid!"

"Whatever! It doesn't matter if you or Maple had it, I would've popped it right now regardless!" _Ouch, but probably true._

Completely defeated, Masello fell on the ground face down. "A-Ah, such harsh words…" He sobbed.

Maple walked up to our deeply saddened friend and patted him on the shoulder. "There, there, don't be so heartbroken! It was just a game."

"A game I wanted to play…Waaah!" Masello sobbed. Maple, unsure what to do, shared confused glances with me and continued to pat him and laughed nervously.

"E-Enough!" Aika shouted with her face a bit red, "Let's end this now! I gotta win this for Tangelo!" Aika glared at me with a gleam of determination in her pink eyes and rushed at me.

"Hmph, bring it on!" I answered back, finally starting to get into this game."I'll show you the fruits of all my training!" I got into position to defend with my pillow and waited for Aika to approach.

After many exchanges of dodges, pillow blocking, and attacks, Aika and I stood in the middle of the room, both completely out of breath and trading death glares. Maple and Masello, along with everyone else (who came in some point during my fight with Aika) sat on the bed next to the sleeping Litwick, watching our intense battle and cheering.

"Aika you can do this! Don't give up!" Tangelo shouted, supporting his team mate.

"Go Cobalt! I know you can win!" Maple cheered me on, giving me a little morale boost.

"You better win Cobalt! You must avenge my death!" Auburn shouted. _…Her death? She takes these games too seriously sometimes._ I chuckled quietly to myself.

"This is some high level battling. I wonder if I could've kept up?" Mint commented in an impressed voice.

"Urk, I know I could not have. I hate to admit that Aika was right that I would've just lost regardless…" Masello sobbed, still hurt and saddened that he didn't get to participate.

"_Hah…Hah…_ J-Just stop dodging and let me win already! _Hah…_" Aika, who started to lose patience and composure, shouted out loud and charged at me once more.

"_Hah.._Never!" I took up a fighting stance and grinned. _Heh, she's too impatient. She's losing her focus. Now is the time to strike!_

Aika leaped into the air and prepared to strike, her claws extended and ready to slash my balloon down. I took careful observations of her movements and her position and prepared to strike back. _She's getting tired and losing form! Now! _I easily dodged Aika's and prepared to strike.

Aika gasped and looked at me with shock and fear in her eyes before crashing to the ground. I heard everyone else gasp, with Maple and Auburn cheering for me and Tangelo shouting his concerns out to Aika. "W-W-What?!" Aika exclaimed.

"Just as planned!" I smirked cockily (I may have been having too much fun…) and jabbed at Aika's yellow balloon, popping it instantly. "I win!"

"B-But…huh?! How'd you… What?!" Aika looked at me with frustration.

"You were getting too impatient. You put too much energy into your attacks, so I waited it out until I could dodge your attack easily and strike back." I held a paw out to help her up.

Aika looked at my paw and stared at it for a moment. Her face, again, started to grow red and she reluctantly accepted my help. "H-Hmph! W-Who do you think you are, some e-expert fighter?! D-D-Don't get all cocky!"

"Of course not. Not yet at least. But I'm working towards it so that one day if the time ever comes I will be able to prevent the loss of anyone I care about. I don't plan on losing any more of my loved ones to stupid bandits or gangs or anything!"

Aika looked at me with widened eyes. "C-Cobalt…"

"And that includes you Aika. And all of you guys!" I added.

"H-H-Huh?!" Aika stuttered, the blush on her facing growing even redder.

"Cooooooobaaaaaaalt!"

"Huh—A-ah!" I turned around and was soon forced on the ground from my friends piling onto of me and embracing me.

"C-Cobalt, you did it! We won!" Maple snuggled her head against mine, "And that speech was the coolest thing ever! You'll always be my knight in shining armor!" I gasped and blushed again at the thought of that…

"Dude that was soooooooooooo cool! I'm not even mad we lost!"

"Cobalt, my powerful chum, that was simply amazing!"

"Cobaaaaaaaalt! That was the most intense battle I've ever seen! Er, well, battle against kids our age at least. And do you really mean what you said?! That's so cool of you! Ohmigosh Cobalt you are just SO cool!" Auburn held onto me the tightest, pouring out all the compliments as I tried to catch my breath.

"G-Guy, g-get off…! Can't…b-breath…!" I complained. Everyone gasped and quickly got off of me, giving me sheepish laughs. _This happens to me way too often…_

"Whoops, sorry!" Auburn laughed and helped me up. She stuck her tongue out cutely and apologized. I felt my face grow warm and red slightly, but I shook it off and smiled at her.

"Seriously though, you guys hug and squeeze me way too hard and way too much!" I complained jokingly, though I was technically not joking. I guess it's just their way of showing their friendship.

"Er, I'm sorry! I guess I'm just too clingy! I just really, really care about you! It's never boring when you're around Cobalt!" Auburn smiled happily. Everyone else added their own words, agreeing with Auburn. Even Aika gave me an approving nod, agreeing with everyone else.

"You guys… Heh, you're going to make me cry!" I joked, though I think tears really were about to pour. The room was soon filled with laughter, and I couldn't help but feel thankful and happy.

_I guess this wasn't such a bad birthday after all!_

* * *

Aika's POV

After that intense battle I had with Cobalt, all the lights were turned back on and we headed back to Auburn's room. Auburn forced us into playing more games all night long until her dad came in and told us to go to bed and turned off the lights, leaving only the moonlight shining from Auburn's window to provide lighting.

"Aika, here's your spot!" Auburn pointed at the end spot next to her. I don't get why she wants me to sleep next to her so badly. "Right here! Right here!"

"I know, I know! G-Geeze I heard you the first time!"

"Oh, so you will sleep next to me then?" Auburn grinned at me mischievously, with a paw over her mouth.

"W-What?! D-D-Don't get the wrong idea! I'm just sleeping here so you s-shut up!"

"Hehe, whatever you say!" She laughed annoyingly. I know on the outside my face is probably blushing with an annoyed expression like it always does, but inside… I'm actually really happy.

I walked up to my bed and looked down on it. It's not really a bed, but rather a bunch of blankets and pillows similar to what I have. Except these blankets and pillows are clean and look really soft and comfortable.

"What are you doing just staring and standing there? Go on!"

"Er, o-okay…" I gulped nervously and stepped on the bed, causing my ears to perk up instantly. _I-It's so soft…!_ I instantly got on, wrapped myself around the blanket, and rested on top of the pillows.

"S-So s-soft… I can't remember the last time I lied down on something so comfortable…Aahh…"

"Huh? Really? What do you mean? These pillows and blankets aren't THAT fancy." I heard a male voice and I gasped. _Dang it, did I say that out loud?_ I quickly threw the blanket off and was welcomed by Tangelo looked down at me strangely. "Don't you have a bed? You don't sleep on the floor at home do you?"

"Ah, umm…" I felt my face grow red and I shifted my head left and right, completely at a loss for words. "E-Er…"

"What are you talking about? These pillows are amazingly soft!" Cobalt shouted from two beds away from me. I looked at him with wide eyes, which he replied with a reassuring smile and wink. "Don't you agree Auburn?"

"Huh?" Auburn blinked before catching on, "O-Oh! Yeah of course! Only the best for the Royal Family! Haha!"

"I must concur with my royal chum and say that these pillows and blankets are quite the delight to rest on! Oh my, I simply adore how soft they are! No wonder Tea could not resist sleeping during that battle game we had!" Masello happily agreed, though he's in the same boat as Tangelo and doesn't know the truth behind me.

"Really? If you guys say so." Tangelo shrugged and sat on the bed adjacent to mine. "Say, you don't mind if I sleep next to you to, right partner?" Tangelo winked at me. I felt my ears perk up as I gasped at Tangelo's question.

"P-Partner?! U-Um…d-do whatever you want!" I said quickly and hid under my blanket.

"Hah, c'mon don't be like that! I'm just teasing you! We're friends now!" Tangelo nudged me gently.

"…I know." I said softly. Luckily I was hiding under the blanket; otherwise I wouldn't be able to hide this stupid smile stuck on my face.

"Good!" Tangelo said happily before yawning. "Man, I sure am exhausted! Probably not as much as you though. You were amazing during your battle with Cobalt! I was so sure you were going to win too."

"Me too. I won't lose next time."

"Heh, I hope we get teamed up again next time."

"…Me too." I said softly, which Tangelo replied with a gentle chuckle. _Tangelo is a pretty nice guy. That reminds me, he was about to offer me his food that one time. I've heard the others say that he absolutely never shares his food. Maybe I'll ask him about it._

I removed the blanket over my head, "Say, Tang—"

"…zzzz…" _Hmph, already asleep? Heh, good night Tangelo… _ I smiled at the sleeping Growlithe and hid back under my blanket. I closed my eyes and was soon drifted away to sleep.

* * *

"…Erm…why's it s-so bright…" I felt rays of light shining onto my eyelids and I lazily opened an eye. I saw that the curtains of the window next to us were opened. I also noticed someone standing in front of it, though I couldn't tell who it was. I groggily opened my eyes and rubbed the drowsiness away. "Ah…" I yawned, "I haven't been woken up to such bright light in a long time…"

"Oh, did I wake you? I'm sorry." The figure standing in front of the window apologized. Now that I was more awake, I noticed that it was Cobalt. "Good morning Aika."

I walked up to the window and stood next to Cobalt. "G-Good morning…"

"Did you sleep well?"

"I haven't had such a nice night of sleep in the longest time. I didn't even have any nightmares… I-I tend to have them ever since…y'know."

"Aika…I'm sorry. I know how you feel though. I used to have nightmares too. It was scary, having to run away like that…trying to defend and run for your life…"

"Y-Yeah…" I looked down sadly. Cobalt shares the same pain as I. Perhaps his is even worse. I at least never had to defend myself, and I was never close to dying… I frowned and felt my eyes begin to tear up. Cobalt must've looked at me, because he quickly gasped and placed his arm around me. "Wh-wha?"

"But it's different now!" He smiled at me, "Ever since I took up Cream's offer, I've made many new friends and every day is always so exciting! I haven't had another nightmare! Of course, I miss my parents, my only friend, and my home, but I will never forget them. They're never truly gone. So don't feel sad!"

"C-Cobalt…" I blushed and felt the tears fall down my cheeks. "T-Thanks…" I smiled at him warmly. _Y-You're way too nice to me…"_

"Of course! Now c'mon, dry those tears, or else I'll start crying too!" He placed a paw on my cheek and wiped away my tears, which only caused me to blush even harder.

"O-Okay…"

Cobalt and I spent time together, talking about each other's past. Cobalt talked about his home, Miner's Town. He told me about his parents, and his best friend Plum and how they were the only kids. I could only feel jealous that he at least had a friend, since I spent all my time on Dad's and Uncle Nita's wagon, moving from town to town, city to city, all across the world. Not that I disliked it, but I wonder how life would've been if my family weren't travelers.

More light began to shine through the window as the sun rose higher in the sky. Auburn's room overlooked the entrance to the castle, which meant we had the perfect view of all the flowers and bushes that covered the castle gardens. With all the colorful flowers, and the beautiful sunrise behind them, it was quite the overwhelming view. …And I was glad I could share this moment with Cobalt.

After some time, Auburn's dad, the King, opened the door to wake up the rest of our friends and inform us that it was time for breakfast. The room was soon filled with yawns and groans, but everyone eventually got up. We all worked together to put away our beds and shortly after we made our way down to the dining room all the way on the first floor.

"O-OH MY GOODNESS!" Masello shouted all of the sudden, causing all of us to gasp and jump.

"W-What is it? What's wrong?!" Auburn asked worriedly.

"T-This…all…o-oh…" Masello cried.

"Masello? Dude, what's wrong?" Tangelo walked up to his best friend.

"L-LOOK AT ALL THIS FOOD! IT ALL LOOKS SO FANCY AND MARVELOUS!"

…

"You idiot!" Mint hit the stupid Numel on the head with a blunt strike of her hand. "Do not scream like that so suddenly for such an idiotic reason!"

"O-Ow! But Miiiiiiint, this is not an idiotic reaaassssoooonnn!"

"Haha, it's so early in the morning but you all have so much energy! I like that!" The King, Mr. Cain, laughed hardily from his seat at the other side of the room. "Come, let us eat!"

"You don't have to ask me again!" Masello quickly took a seat and began digging in.

"Masello, you are in the presence of the King! Must you always behave so rudely when food is involved?!" Mint sighed.

"Ah, it's okay Mint. If anything, Dad thinks it's funny!" Auburn placed a paw on Mint's back and smiled. "Let's eat!" Auburn smiled happily. Mint smiled back and nodded, joining her best friend at the dining table. Everyone else was in good spirits and sat around the dining table. I, however, stood there in place, feelings of admiration…and jealousy of their friendships with each other building up inside me.

"Aika?"

"H-Huh?" I looked up and saw Cobalt looking at me, the worry and concern obvious on his face.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." I blushed and looked down. "I was just thinking…how everyone is so friendly with each other…"

"Oh, that's it? It's okay, you have nothing to worry about! We're all friends!" I looked up at Cobalt who was holding out his paw. "Right?"

"AIKAAAAA! COBAAAAALT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Tangelo yelled from across the room.

"HURRY UP AND JOIN US BEFORE MASELLO EATS ALL THE FOOD!" Auburn added in an equally as loud voice.

"Heh, see? Everyone cares about you! Let's go eat!" Cobalt smiled at me warmly, his kindness radiating and his compassion shining behind that gentle smile. I nodded and gladly accepted his paw.

"O-Okay!"

After breakfast (which was the most delicious food I've ever tasted in my life), Mr. Cain led us all back to Auburn's room. There, he instructed us to all brush our teeth and take a shower and afterwards we would get our things packed so we can go back home. There were enough bathrooms on this floor for all of us to clean ourselves off privately at the same time. I brushed my teeth and turned on the shower. I stood there for a bit, staring at the steam starting to rise as the temperature of the water increased before stepping into the shower.

_I can't remember when I last took a real shower like this… This warm water feels so much better than that freezing river in the forest… I could stand under this forever… _I looked up at the shower head and let the warm water pour down my face. _…What do I do after this? It looks like Auburn's parents aren't after me, so I don't really have to leave anymore. Do I have to go back to that alley? I… don't ever want to have to spend another day there again…_

I washed myself with soap and soon stepped out of the shower. I wiped off some of the steam that built up on the mirror and stared at myself, my pink eyes shining and my fur glistening. _…I've never felt so clean and refreshed. Do I have to go back to being dirty again after this? N-No…I don't want that…_

I returned to Auburn's bedroom after drying off my fur. It seems I spent too much time enjoying the running hot water, as I was the last one that returned. Everyone got their things together and soon Mr. Cain led us down to the castle entrance, where Ms. Arylide was waiting along with Ms. Cream.

"Good morning everyone." The Queen greeted us politely and elegantly.

"Mom! And Cream!" Auburn ran up to her mom and hugged her. I felt a light pain in my chest after witnessing that…

"Cream!" Cobalt ran up to his adoptive mom and hugger her as well…

"Cobalt!" Cream smiled and returned his hug. She looked up at the rest of us and smiled, "Hello everyone. I hope you had a fun night!" Ms. Cream said happily.

"Yeah!" Everyone cheered simultaneously.

"That's good! Unfortunately, it's time for you all to go back home. I'll take you all home."

"Aww, I wanted to play more…" Maple whined.

"Same, but I better get home. I'm sure Mom and Dad need help getting ready for the lunch rush." Tangelo commented.

"And I'm certain my dear Father has missed me. I know I missed him, even though I had so much fun! This was simply the best birthday party I have ever attended!" Masello cheered.

Tangelo nodded in agreement and laughed, "Heh, this was way better than that stupid Garnet's birthday! I bet if all the guys were here Cobalt would be the most popular kid in class!"

"Y-You think?" Cobalt said shyly, which Tangelo responded with eager nodding. "Hehe…" Cobalt rubbed the back of his head and a slight blush grew on his face.

"Oh, Mom is going to make me do so much work today…" Mint sighed. "But it was definitely worth it! I haven't had so much fun before!"

"I-It was a fun day, b-but I miss my b-bed…" Tea yawned. _Is she seriously going to go back to sleep?!_

I looked around my laughing friends and sighed sadly. _Everyone knows what they're gonna do…but what about me? Where is Ms. Cream going to take me if I don't have a home…? _These thoughts continued to haunt my mind as I felt sweat start to fall down my face.

"Ahaha, well if everyone is ready, let us be on our way. Ah, but first, Aika?" My ears perked at Ms. Cream calling my name. "Can you come here please? There's someone I'd like you to meet." Ms. Cream motioned me to come closer before she turned around to the open castle door. "Mr. Arte, please come in."

_W-What's going on…? Who am I m-meeting?! _That sweat that was building up grew as I nervously walked over to Ms. Cream. From the castle door behind Ms. Cream, I could see a dark figure walk into the castle. It…was a Mightyena. A really old looking Mightyena, with blue, gentle, eyes. There was something about those blue eyes… They reminded me of Dad…

"A-Aika…? I-Is that y-y-you?" The old Mightyena stuttered. "I-It i-is y-y-you right?" His stuttering grew worse as he began choking up from the tears building in his blue eyes.

"H-How do you know my name? W-Who are you…?!" I stepped back nervously. He doesn't look hostile, but I was still nervous at this unknown Pokémon slowly coming closer.

"I-It's me…" He sobbed, "Y-Your G-Grandpa Arte. I-I am Sombra's father…"

_W-WHAT?!_

* * *

**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

**FINALLY DONE! Again, I'm so sorry this took too long to write and upload. I BLAME POKEMON SUPER MYSTERY DUNGEON! I even picked Riolu and Fennekin and named them Cobalt and Maple... and now I'm debating who to ship Cobalt with lol. IF THE COBALT X MAPLE WAS STRONG, BLAME PMD4**

**God there was a lot going on in this chapter, wasn't there? I think I changed the POV too many times lol**

**Anyway...where to begin...**

**So first we learn some interesting things about Sana and her relationship with Arylide and Cream. BUT WHAT COULD IT MEAN?!**

**And then we get Aika blushing for like half the chapter... And then I wanted to have them team up so I could work on different pairings so I made a Mario Kart Battle Mode inspired game for them to play... though they weren't paired up all that differently huh? lol**

**And then Aika starts worrying about what she's gonna do next when all of the sudden...  
A NEW CHARACTER! His name is Arte (Spanish for Art, thanks Shadow Snivy for the name lol) and is Aika's grandfather?! GASPS FOR DAAAAAAAAYYYYYSSS! hayouthoughtcreamwasgonnaadoptaikaandthatwastheoriginalplanbutiscrappeditlolORDIDI?!**

**Anyway, this may be the last chapter update of the year. It's already been 8 months since I started this. I can't believe how far this story has gotten... and there's so many of you leaving reviews and following and even favoriting! It's just so...unreal to me. Thanks for the great year, and hopefully 2016 will bring more exciting chapters! WHOO! \\(^3^)/ *confetti* *BRICKFETTI*KOFF**


	15. Chapter 15

**Oh hey look an update :O lol**

**So I've noticed I start almost all my chapters with "SORRY FOR BEING LATE LIKE ALWAYS"  
Yeah I need to stop doing that lol. It's been forever since I uploaded something on time. At this point the original "chapter every 2 weeks" thing doesn't even exist anymore lol. For now, my promise is to have at least one chapter every month, or like three chapters every two months. I'd like to do more, buuuuuuuut...imlazyandschoolandexucsesKOFF.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**andidontfeellikeputtingadisclaimeranymorenothatitmatterslol**

* * *

Cream's POV

"D-Did you say, grandpa?!" The small Poochyena hesitantly said, her body trembling from the unbelievable reveal. I scanned the room and saw that besides Auburn, whose eyes were gleaming and had a goofy smile glued on her face, all of Cobalt's friends were almost as confused as Aika.

"Yes, that is right…" The older Mightyena, whose body looked somewhat frail and had lackluster fur, slowly took another step forward, an aura of kindness and acceptance radiating through his blue eyes and gentle smile. "A-Aika, you've grown so big…"

"W-Wait a second, t-this is so...w-what is going…h-huh?!" Aika was completely flustered. A rosy red blush burns her cheeks as she tried to search for the right words.

"Hehe," I chuckled and placed a hand on Aika's confused head, "I assume this must be quite the shock! This is definitely a lot to take in all at once. Allow me to explain…"

* * *

When we reached the outside of the castle tower, it was obvious that all the guards were aware of the current situation, as the castle gardens was filled with guards running about. I stood completely still with my eyes tightly shut. I gently placed my hands behind my ears and began to focus, trying to use my hearing abilities to search for Arylide.

"Cream?" Cobalt asked quietly, a bit confused on what I was doing. Since it was so noisy outside, I decided not to reply back and instead focus on finding Arylide. Cobalt's a smart kid, he'll figure out what I'm doing.

I continued to remain silent as I focused all of my power into hearing for Arylide's voice, heartbeat, footsteps, anything. It was a bit tough with all the disturbances in the surrounding area, but it didn't take me too long tracking her down. I've had to track down that girl a million times by now, so I've grown a bit of an aptitude when it comes to the finding Queen.

"…She's not too far from here. Let's make haste, Cobalt!" I grabbed the small and confused Riolu's paw and rushed out of the garden, towards the direction I sensed Arylide, and ignoring Cobalt's cries of confusion for the time being.

At the heart of the shopping district of Homura City, I found the royal family in an empty street, trying to find any signs of the runaway Poochyena.

"Arylide!" I called out as I ran up to them, Cobalt still in hand. "T-There you are!" I wheezed, not used to running around so much. _…I should probably exercise more._

"Cream!" Arylide called back as her and her family turned around from my sudden call. "Oh my, are you okay? You look completely out of breath!"

"I-I'm fine…" I muttered, my chest erratically moving up and down, "A-Ahem," I caught my breath, "Did you find her yet?"

"No." Arylide shook her head disappointedly.

"I could've sworn she ran this way!" Auburn complained, "Ugh, she blends in so well with the darkness…"

"Well, that's okay for now. Listen! I have a plan!" I motioned everyone to huddle up and told everyone my realization. "I recognized Aika's parents' names! I've heard their names before!"

"You have?! From where?" Arylide exclaimed. "Aika said Sombra is from here right? Did we go to school with him?! But then how do you know about Nozomi?"

"No, I don't think we were in the same grade as Sombra, but I know them through a patient!"

"R-Really?!" Everyone shouted simultaneously.

"Yes!"

"W-Who?!" Auburn asked impatiently, her tails wagging and the excitement clear in her voice, "Who is it?! Is it a relative? D-Does Aika have a relative here?!"

"Who is it Cream?" Cobalt asked in a calmer tone than the overly excited princess.

"Yes she does! I have a patient named Arte! He's Sombra's father! He's an old and frail Mightyena. He and his wife moved out of the city for the cleaner air and quieter life several years ago. However his wife passed away last fall and he moved back here to bury her…" I looked away sadly. I remembered that old couple, they used to come to my hospital for treatment.

"A-Anyway, Arte told me once about his son and how they were supposed to visit them last summer for the first time since their daughter, Aika, was born, but they never did. He said i-it crushed his wife that she wasn't able to see them one l-last time…"

"T-That's…" Cain stuttered softly and looked away with eyes shut.

"S-So sad…" Arylide finished his sentence as she looked down on the ground.

"That poor old couple…" Auburn sobbed.

Cobalt's body was trembling slightly, his fists clenched and his head lowered. "The Demon's Fang… taking away more happiness…" He whispered, very quietly, to himself. Due to my hearing abilities, I of course was able to hear it. I walked up to my son and placed a hand on his trembling shoulder, smiling at him. Cobalt looked at me with glossy eyes and rubbed his eyes before giving me a confident nod.

"It is a rather sad story, but that means Aika has family here. She has somewhere to go! That is, if Arte accepts her."

"Well, why wouldn't he?! Aika's his granddaughter right?!" Auburn shouted, as if the answer was obvious, which it should be, but…

"It's not always that simple Auburn." Arylide said sternly. "We can't just throw a child at him and be like 'Here you go!' and expect him to accept easily with open arms. While I'm certain he will be delighted, we must speak with him first about it."

"That's exactly right!" I nodded. "And I think we should do it right now. I suspect Aika may try to run away from the city. She probably thinks she's a runaway criminal with nowhere to go, so we need her to stay for at least the night."

"So how do we make sure she doesn't leave?"

"I have an idea!" Cain's raised his voice excitedly. "Why not continue Cobalt's birthday with a slumber party? We'll invite Aika along with all of the other kids for more fun!"

"Ooh! Ooooh!" Auburn began jumping up and down excitedly, her energy never running out, "I agree! I agree! Can we do this?!"

"Weeeellll…" Arylide said quietly to think about it.

"Pleeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaase Mom?"

"I suppose I could allow it. But does Cobalt want to?"

"Of course he does!" Auburn ran up to Cobalt and stared at him with puppy-dog eyes. "Y-You do want to, right Cobalt?"

Cobalt jumped back and a cute red blush began to burn his face, flustered from Auburn's sudden actions. "W-What? I-I… Well, y-yeah sure, it sounds fun!" Cobalt sighed and avoided Auburn's cute glare, "T-That wasn't necessary, you know…"

"Hehe, sorry!" Auburn giggled. "Yay! It's settled! Ohmigosh I'm so excited! I hope everyone can go! Thanks Dad for the suggestion!" Auburn ran up to Cain and embraced him into a tight hug.

"A-Ah, a-anything for my little Princess!" Cain laughed, startled from his daughter's sudden grasp, "I just suggested what I thought would be fun! Haha!"

"Okay then, now that that's out of the way. We need to find Aika and convince her to come over."

"Leave it to me," I said confidently with a wink, "Cobalt and I will find her. You guys should go invite the other kids and get everything else prepared. Once we all gather back at the castle, I'll go back to the hospital and find out where Arte lives. Arylide, I'd appreciate your help on this. I'm sure if I had the Queen by my side, it'll make things easier."

"Yes of course. Then let's get to it. Cain, dear, could you go back to the castle and get things ready? Auburn and I will go invite her friends."

"As you wish, Your Majesty!" Cain bowed playfully, earning a giggle from his wife before heading back to the castle. Those two were always so playful with each other. I couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of their love. _Must be nice…_

"Let us be on our way too Auburn. Your cousin Tangelo should be the closest one from here. Let's start there."

"Okay!" Auburn nodded happily. "Cobalt, good luck on getting Aika to come! I know you can do it!"

"Right! You can count on me!" Cobalt nodded confidently.

"Arylide, good luck with Sana. I trust you'll convince her to let Mint go…"

"Oh, I have a plan…sort of."

"That's not very convincing, you know!"

Arylide laughed, "Hah, well we'll just have to see if it goes well or not." And with a quick wave, Arylide and Auburn were off.

I waved back and sighed, "Good luck…and sorry Arylide…" I felt bad that she would be the one to deal with Sana. It's my fault after all that Sana is so hostile towards us, b-but—

"Cream?"

"Oh!" I was snapped back to reality and welcomed by a pair of concerned eyes. "Sorry Cobalt! Let me focus and try to find Aika now…" I closed my eyes and placed my hands behind my ears, repeating the procedure I did back at the castle. "Hmm, I think she's quite far away…oh my, in _that_ side of town?"

"That side you say? She's probably heading home," Cobalt stated before gasping suddenly, "Oh no! What if she's doing as you said and is packing her things? Cream, we need to hurry! That alley is pretty far from here!" Cobalt panicked, completely aware of the desperate situation we were now in.

"Yes, I'll let you lead the way then!" I nodded and soon I was in another sprint, this time across the entire city.

After succeeding in convincing Aika and heading back to the castle, I met with Arylide and soon we were back at my hospital, in my office to be specific, going through patient files.

"Hmm, it's been awhile since Arte was last here, so his file should be in here…aha!" I shouted out excitedly as I pulled out a folder from one of my file cabinets. "Here we go!" I quickly opened the folder and scanned through the papers, in search of his address which should be among his personal information.

"So? What's it say? Where does he live?"

"Hmm…" I murmured, slowly turning the pages as I scan each and every written line. "Ah, here it is. Oh my, how convenient! He's pretty close by! Just a few blocks away in the nearby neighborhood!"

"Then let us be on our way before he goes to bed. It's gotten quite dark now, and I'd hate to disturb his rest. Hurry now!" Arylide nodded and quickly left the room. _Heh, always so straightforward with little patience, at least around me! She's got good self-control around others, but I know the Arylide! Teehee!_

* * *

"…And then we explained everything to Arte here. He was thrilled to learn that you still lived, Aika." I finished off my explanation of what happened last night.

"I thought you were dead… When you guys never showed up that summer, we assumed the worst… I-It looks like my assumption was correct…" Arte sobbed, wiping a tear from his eye. It was heartbreaking to see how much he suffered, but at the same time it's also heartwarming to see him reunited with his granddaughter after so many years. "I-I'm so happy that you're still alive, A-Aika…"

Aika was speechless. She was baffled. Her pink eyes were opened as wide as possible and her jaw would've hit the floor if…jaws worked that way. Mint and the other children seemed completely out of the loop. I would assume that Cobalt and Auburn decided to respect Aika's privacy and not tell them about her secrets.

"S-So…t-that means…" Aika finally managed to say something after a short period of silence, "Y-You're really my…grandpa?" Arte answered with an eager, but slow nod, confirming Aika's suspicions. Her widen pink eyes quickly became glossy as tears began to pour down her cheeks. "G-Grandpa…" She said quietly, taking a step forward before running up and jumping into Arte's arms. "G-Grandpa…Grandpa!" Aika buried her face into her grandfather's chest, dampening his fur. "G-Grandpa…"

"Aika…" Arte embraced Aika tightly and lowered his head, his eyes closed tight and tears pouring nonstop. "Y-You've grown up, child… I-I'm so thankful to see you a-alive…a-ah, my granddaughter…"

It was a really touching and heartwarming scene. I couldn't help but shed a few tears myself. Cobalt and Auburn both looked completely overfilled with joy at seeing Aika finally having somewhere to go. Despite their confusion, Mint and the other children looked just as happy, with tears dropping down their cheeks as well.

"W-WAAAAHHHH!" Masello, who was crying the hardest out of all of the children, suddenly shouted and ran up to the reunited family and joined their touching hug. "I-I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE I UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION, BUT I DO KNOW I JUST WITNESSED SOMETHING OH SO TOUCHING. O-OH AIKA, I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU, MY GOOD CHUM!"

"M-Masello!" Maple and Mint shouted simultaneously and stomped to the sobbing Numel. "N-Now's not the time for this!" Mint scolded and dragged Masello away.

"Leave them be, Masello! He hasn't seen her in years!" Maple added, also dragging Masello.

"A-Ah! N-Not so rough!" Masello complained through his sobs. The comical display was well received as the tears and sobs were soon replaced with laughs. Aika raised her head and chuckled at friends.

"Heh, you have an interesting array of friends." Arte chuckled as he wiped away some tears from his eyes.

"I-I guess…" Aika blushed happily, "Y-Yeah, and I couldn't be more happier with them…"

"Oh, Aika!" Auburn cried, "I'm so happy for you! I'm so glad you've accepted us, a-and now this a-and… A-Ah…so happy…" Auburn sobbed, suddenly bursting into more tears and crying onto Cobalt's shoulder.

"A-Auburn…" Cobalt placed a paw on his crying friend's head. "Y-You're way too overemotional…y-you're going to m-make me c-cry even more…heh…" He stuttered, letting out a chuckle in attempt to fight back the tears.

"Um…" Tangelo voiced out suddenly and took a step forward, "I know this is a very emotional moment and all, but…"

"I'm a bit confused on what's going on." Maple finished for him.

"I-I'm more than a bit confused…" Tea said quietly, in a surprisingly sassy tone.

"Waaah! I'm just too happy to care about the details!" Masello cried with his face buried into his forelegs. Maple sighed and gave herself a face palm at the silly Numel's single-tracked mind.

"Cobalt and Auburn seem to know what's going on," Mint said observantly, placing a hand under her chin, "Care to explain?" I couldn't help but see the resemblance between her and Sana. _She's the spitting image of Sana…_

"Oh…" Aika let go of her grandfather's hug and faced her friends, "I suppose I should explain everything now…" Aika gave off a serious and melancholic expression and took a deep breathe, mentally preparing herself to reveal her tragic tale once more. "I'd like it if you all knew, and I need to explain to G-Grandpa too…

"W-Well…I-I…u-umm…" Aika was at a loss for words. Her eyes began to tear up and her face radiated a burning red blush. "I-I…"

I tried to step in and approach her to help her calm down, but it looks like a certain pair of children beat me to it. Auburn stepped up to Aika's side and wrapped a foreleg around her. On the other side, Cobalt placed a paw on Aika's shoulder and nodded supportively. I gave off a little sigh of relief and placed my hands on my hips, a satisfying grin stuck on my face.

"Looks like you were too slow, Cream." Arylide whispered sassily. I gave her a soft chuckle in response.

Aika looked at her two friends with shock. She quickly shook her head and smiled, taking another deep breath before restarting.

* * *

Aika's POV

I did it again. I retold my story. It's…so difficult and painful, having to recall every single memory of terror… I almost couldn't do it, but then… Auburn and Cobalt, they… I'm just so glad to have them in my life…

After revealing my past to the rest of my friends, and to my… my grandpa… I was once again bombarded with tight embraces and teary eyes. Masello, being the obnoxious, loud, and overreacting Numel he is, drenched my fur with his tears and hugged me with all his might, which was a lot. I had to shove him off before he crushed my tiny body! …But it made me happy, seeing how much he cared. The rest of my friends had similar reactions as Masello, just not as drastic as his.

But the one who looked the most hurt, the most heartbroken, and the most devastated, was of course my g-grandpa… Grandpa Arte… I can't believe my grandpa has been living here this entire time… He had a brief summary from Ms. Cream and Ms. Arylide when they came to his house last night, saying that it wasn't right for them to tell him my story, so hearing what really happened for the first time was absolutely devastating.

"A-Ah…so it is true… My poor son and his beautiful wife… And even his childhood best friend… I...I-I…" Grandpa muttered to himself as he dropped to the ground in complete despair.

"G-Grandpa!" I shouted in absolute fear and concern for him, already accepting him into my life, and rushed to his side. Ms. Cream had similar fears as she as well rushed to his side, ready to aid him if necessary.

"Are you okay Arte?!" Ms. Cream panicked. She quickly knelt on the ground and placed a concern hand on his side.

"A-A-Ah, I do apologize…" Grandpa brushed a paw over his face to rid the excess tears, "I-I'm just a bit overwhelmed…" He made a loud sniffle and helped himself up from the ground. "I-I'm fine, I-I just…" His voice was stuttering, I could tell he was trying his best to fight back his tears.

Out of pure instinct, I immediately wrapped myself around the old and frail Mightyena and embraced him. "G-Grandpa…" I whispered, my voice muffled from my face being buried in his chest and tears pouring from my eyes like a faucet.

"A-Aika…" Grandpa returned the hug and rested his head next to mine on my shoulder, "You've been through so much, and yet you never gave up… I'm so…A-ah…" I could feel his tears drenching onto my fur as he tried to voice out his emotions "I'm so glad you're alive. I'm so proud of you… You deserve so much better… My precious granddaughter… I love you so much…"

Those words. I haven't heard those words in forever. Not since that tragic and fateful night. I couldn't take it anymore. I knew my face was probably redder than any berry out there. I knew I was probably sobbing louder than anyone could possibly manage. But I didn't care, because right now in this moment, for the first time in forever, I felt safe and loved.

"G-Grandpa…I-I love you too…"

"A-Aika!" Grandpa gasped, surprised to hear me repeat his words. I looked up at him and was welcomed with a teary-eyed but welcoming gaze. I smiled as happily as I could behind my red blushing face and continued to hug him back. "Aika, do… d-do you want to come home with me? Will you stay with me?"

This time it was my turn to gasp in surprise. I looked up again with widen eyes before more tears blurred my vision and invaded my moment of pure bliss. I nodded eagerly and closed my eyes, resting my head on his chest. "Y-Yes!" I answered affirmatively with a muffled voice.

"A-Ah… Aika…." Grandpa sobbed, his gratitude obvious in his tone. "Doctor Cream, Your Majesty, thank you so much… for telling me... Gracias…"

"Of course, it's only natural for a doctor to care for their patients! Hehe!" Ms. Cream joked playfully.

"Cream, you're so stupid." Ms. Arylide laughed. It was weird hearing the Queen say something like that, but they're close friends, so I guess it doesn't matter.

After our sentimental and emotional scene, Cream suggested that we should all get going before some of the parents get too angry, without specifying exactly who she was talking about. At the castle gates past the beautiful gardens, I waved goodbye to my friends, who all happily said "See you tomorrow at school!"

My eyes perked before they and the rest of my face grew a rosy red blush. I shook my head in attempt to rid of it, but gave up after failing horribly. Normally I would've probably looked away and reply with a sassy remark, but instead I happily nodded back at them with a wide smile, agreeing to see them tomorrow. For the first time in forever, I was excited and looking forward to go to school tomorrow!

After one final wave, Grandpa and I left and headed into the heart of Homura City. Even though it was still early morning, the streets were already bustling with Pokémon. Some by themselves, others with their friends or families. There were even other children out and about with their families. I couldn't help but smile at their carefree joyful expressions, taking a closer step to Grandpa Arte.

Eventually we were out of the shopping district and into one of the nearby neighborhoods. I don't know much of this side of town since it's mostly homes, but apparently Cream's Hospital is nearby, meaning one of my friends lives close to me. I smiled at the thought of walking home from school and hanging out with Cobalt since he lives so close.

Grandpa stopped in front of one of the smaller homes. "Here we are. Welcome to my humble—no, your new humble home!" Grandpa presented proudly. In comparison to the other houses in the neighborhood, it was a very simple house on the outside. A small lawn in the front yard with many different flowers soaking in the sunlight welcomed me as we walked to the door. _It looks like Grandpa likes to garden… _I thought to myself as I continued to observe my surroundings.

Grandpa unlocked the front door and gestured me to enter. I hesitantly stepped inside and took in my surroundings. Although it looked small on the outside, there was a decent amount of space on the inside. There was a living room with a couch and some chairs and a small kitchen with a dining table. On the opposite side were three doors, which I assumed were bedrooms and the bathroom. The inside itself was very well organized and mostly neat, though one thing I did notice was the amount of paintings decorating the interior. All of them were beautiful works of art, and I couldn't help but admire them. It was like walking in a gallery or something!

"Ah, I know what you're thinking. I'm an artist. I actually make paintings and other things for a living. Hehe, very fitting for my name huh?" Grandpa chuckled happily, "I even have a few works displaying in the art gallery in the museum!" Grandpa said proudly.

"Wow!" I exclaimed, amazed at my grandpa's skill, "You're amazing Grandpa!" I took a few more steps inside to get a better view of all the paintings. A certain painting caught my eye, and I couldn't help but stare at it. "Is this…?"

Grandpa walked up and placed a paw on my shoulder. I looked up and noticed he had a faint smile on his face, yet with an air of melancholy surrounding him. "Yes…" He answered softly, "This is a painting of your Grandmother, Helga."

I gasped and continued to gaze at the work of art. It was a beautifully painted Houndoom. Her eyes were a pretty shade of blue, and her fur shined; it was as if I was looking directly at her. The painting was so hypnotizing and realistic; I couldn't move my eyes away. "Grandma Helga… She's pretty… W-Wow…this is so beautiful…"

"I only hoped to capture a portion of her beauty in this painting…" Grandpa said softly. "I miss her so much, she would've been so happy to see you again…"

I stood there speechless. My grandparents have always loved me and wanted to see me again so badly, and yet I don't even remember meeting them at all… I felt my body begin to tremble as I stood there, feeling terrible inside. "Grandma… I'm sorry… I don't even remember you, and y-yet…I-I…"

"Aika, dear, please don't feel bad." Grandpa began petting my head reassuringly. "The last time we saw you, you were barely a year old! It's only naturally you don't remember our faces."

"B-But…"

"Aika, it warms my heart seeing how much you care... But please, don't let it bother you." I looked up at him and nodded reluctantly. "That's a good girl!" He smiled at me warmly, a smile I could never grow tired of. "Why don't I show you your room?"

Grandpa walked to one of the doors and gestured me to follow before opening it. "Here it is. I know it's not much, but I hope you like it."

The inside was rather empty. There was a small bed, a window, a dresser, a closet…and paint on the floor and walls? "Umm…"

"Ahaha, I know what you're thinking again…" Grandpa walked inside and stopped in the middle of the room, shifting his paws nervously. "I used this room to make all my paintings, so it's a bit of a mess. I didn't really have a use for a guest bedroom or anything, but luckily I still had some things in storage from before I moved out of the city." Grandpa slowly walked up to the bed and placed a paw gently on it. "This bed, and this room…it used to be your father's."

"R-Really? This is D-Dad's old room?" I gasped. "This is the same home Dad grew up in?"

"Yes, I was lucky to be able to get our old home when I moved back to the city. To think it was still vacant all this time… I couldn't resist getting it back." Grandpa looked up and stared at the ceiling, reminiscing the past.

"G-Grandpa?"

"Ah, I'm sorry!" Grandpa jumped slightly, "I was just feeling nostalgic all of the sudden. Anyway, I tried my best to clean the paint, but paint can be so stubborn!"

"Oh, no! Please, I don't mind at all! I actually kind of like it. It gives it an artistic feel!" I nodded reassuringly to cheer him up.

"Aika dear, you don't need to go out of your way to cheer up this old man." He laughed.

"No I mean it! I actually enjoy art and stuff. I even like to write and things like that…" I admitted, a slight blush growing on my face.

"Hah, I know!" He laughed loudly. _What? How does he know that?!_ "Once again, I know what you're thinking!" Grandpa said playfully and pointed at the closet. I took a step forward and looked inside before gasping happily.

"My backpack! And my other books! They're all here!" I exclaimed happily.

"Doctor Cream and Her Majesty had them when they told me about you last night. I glanced through some the books and noticed you were writing stories in them. I'm sorry to invade your privacy like that, but I was just so curious about you! Please forgive your old Grandpa!" He clamped his paws together and bowed, feeling sincerely sorry. I couldn't get angry at him, I could never be mad at him…

"Aw, Grandpa, it's okay. I don't mind if you read them…" I answered nervously. _No matter how embarrassing it might be…_

"A-Ah, thank you my granddaughter…" He sighed, relieved that I wasn't mad at him. "Why don't we decorate your room? I still have some of Sombra's things from when he was a kid. Or I could paint you something. Or if you want, we can head over to Flaymart, though I don't have much money…"

"Oh, no I don't need you to buy me anything!" I said worriedly. "I'm okay with whatever you have." I looked away and began to blush, "B-But, if you don't m-mind, I'd love to paint something with y-you…"

"Aika…!" Grandpa said happily with a wide smile on his face, "That sounds absolutely lovely. I would be honored to paint something with you!"

Grandpa eagerly left the room to fetch his art supplies. He returned with an easel, a canvas, and a big bag that contained all sorts of supplies, from brushes to palettes, to things I've never even seen.

"So," Grandpa said while setting up his easel, "What do you want to paint?"

"U-Umm…I-I don't know…" I answered meekly. "We can paint whatever you want. I-I just wanted to spend time with you…"I looked down at my shifting paws, my face red with embarrassment.

"Ah, Aika, you are such a sweet child…" Grandpa smiled. I loved seeing him smile. His face may have some wrinkles and his fur may not be the healthiest looking, but he had the most charming and heartwarming smile. To be able to make this old man, my grandpa, happy made me happy.

"In that case, I'll start with some simple scenery and we can go on from there." Grandpa said as he prepared his palette. It wasn't long before the blank canvas was skillfully painted with a beautiful sky and fresh green grass. It was hypnotizing, watching every gentle stroke of the brush. "Okay then that should be good. Hmm, I suppose we could turn this into a meadow or flower field…"

"W-Wow…" I stood there in awe, my eyes fixated at the simple yet beautiful scenery. I've always admired works of art, but seeing one being made in front me is totally different! "Grandpa you're amazing!"

"Ah you flatter me! I'm not that great or anything…" He placed a paw behind his head and rubbed it bashfully. "Well, maybe I'm just a little great! Bahaha!"

We decided to turn the painting into a meadow after a couple of minutes of deliberation. While Grandpa did most of the work, I helped painting the flowers and other things. Grandpa painted the more complicated like the clouds, trees, and he even added a rainbow. When it was completed, both the floor and our paws were covered in paint.

"Annnnnd…" Grandpa said slowly as he gave one last stroke of his brush, "All done! I think it turned out nicely!"

"It's really pretty…" I admired the painting. I could stare at it forever. "Even though the flowers look a little sloppy… It's so pretty! I love it!" I lunged towards Grandpa and forced him into a tight hug. "Thanks! This was so fun!"

"Aww, I'm thrilled that you love it! I enjoyed painting with you, my little granddaughter." Grandpa hugged back. "Although it looks like we have some cleaning to do. I guess I got a bit too into it! Ahaha!"

After cleaning up the mess and our paws, we decided to decorate my room. Grandpa grabbed a box from the closet filled with Dad's old stuff. Books, toys, it was filled with various different things any normal kid would own.

"Ah, this is…" Grandpa pulled out a dusty book, "I forgot about this…"

"What is it?"

Grandpa blew and wiped away the dust and opened up the book. "It's a photo album. Come Aika, take a look!"

I eagerly took a seat on the floor next to Grandpa and scanned each and every photo inside. "Oh wow! Is this really Dad?"

"Yes! Here look! He's a picture of him on his 10th birthday! He was so happy when Nita came over…" Grandpa smiled as he remembered Dad's childhood days. I looked at the picture and smiled. There was a happy Houndour and Ponyta smiling behind a table with a cake with ten candles.

"He looks so happy…" I couldn't help but think how much fun I had yesterday at Cobalt's after party, and how I would love to have my own birthday party.

"Oh, and here's one with all of us. Ah, I remember this...Sombra was so excited to go on one of the castle tours…" Grandpa placed a paw and gently stroked the picture. It was a picture of Dad with a Houndoom and Mightyena, Grandpa and Grandma I assumed, smiling in front of the castle.

I looked at the picture and smiled at how happy they all looked, but then I noticed Grandpa's paw was shaking. I looked up to see Grandpa's entire body trembling. He made a loud sniffle and closed his eyes to fight back the tears.

"G-Grandpa…?"

"A-Ah," He rubbed his paws over his eyes, "I-I'm sorry dear. I'm not normally so overly emotional like this… b-but…" Grandpa stuttered, trying to fight against the sniffles and tears, "I-I've just been alone for so l-long and… I-I miss them…"

"G-Grandpa…" I began sobbing. I miss my parents. I miss Uncle Nita. I wish I could see Grandma Helga. I don't remember what she looks like, but I miss her. I don't know what Mom's parents look like either, but I miss them. I grabbed for Grandpa and buried my face in his chest for what feels like the millionth time already.

"A-Ah, Aika… I'm sorry. You've dealt with so much worse situations than me… I know you must miss your parents as much as I miss them… You've been alone for so long..." Grandpa placed a paw on my back and stroked me gently. It was very relaxing and reassuring…

"But you don't have to worry anymore. Neither of us has to be alone anymore. I'm not going anywhere."

"G-Grandpa…" I looked at him and made a loud sniffle. He looked back and smiled and wiped away my tears. "T-Thank you…"

* * *

Bright rays of light shone behind the curtain and through the window, shooting its rays directly onto my face. I tightly squeezed my eyes before sluggishly opening them. It was morning, and I was on a bed. I looked around and saw that I was still in that bedroom. That wonderful painting I helped make was hanging on the wall, and books and toys decorated the room.

"So it wasn't a dream… this really is real!" I whispered to myself as I rubbed the sleepiness out of my eyes. So much has happened this past weekend and I couldn't believe it. I thought it was all just a dream, but this is real! I eagerly pulled my curtains apart and was greeted by blinding light.

"Ah, it's so bright…" I squinted my eyes to lessen the pain of the brightness. Behind the blinding light I could tell it was a beautiful, sunny spring day. "Today's gonna be another good day!" I giggled.

"Aika," A voice came from outside my bedroom, "It's time to wake up!" I looked behind to see my door open slightly and Grandpa peeking through the crack before opening it all the way. "Ah, you're already awake! Good morning!"

"Grandpa!" I lunged out of my bed and dove in for a hug. "Good morning!"

"Oh my, aren't you in a good mood!"

"Hehe," I chuckled sheepishly, "I'm just happy to be here…" I blushed.

"Aika…" He placed a paw on my head, "And I'm happy to have you here." He hugged me back. I loved hugging Grandpa. He's always so warm and soft. It gave me a sense of safety and it always relaxed me.

Grandpa broke the hug and placed his paws on my shoulders. "You should be getting ready, you have school today!"

"That's right! I gotta shower and stuff!" I dashed past Grandpa and headed for the bathroom next door.

"Heh, such a happy and energetic child. She's definitely your child, Sombra…"

After taking a shower and all that nice, relaxing things I normally wasn't able to do every day, I joined Grandpa at the dining table and together we shared some berries and toast. I could feel myself becoming more and more used to my new home. In fact, it feels like I've been living here my entire life already. Grandpa is just so kind and welcoming…

_*knock knock*_

"A visitor? So early in the morning?" Grandpa pushed in his seat in and headed to the front door. When he opened it, he was welcomed by three children: a Vulpix, Ralts, and Riolu.

"Good morning, sir!"

"Oh, Your Highness! And you are Doctor Cream's child, Cobalt right? And you are… ah yes, Doctor Sana's child Mint, correct?"

"That's right!"

"W-What?!" I nearly choked on my food. I made a mad dash to the front door to see Auburn, Mint, and Cobalt with their backpacks. "W-What are you guys doing here?!"

"Good morning, Aika!" All three of them said simultaneously. Cobalt and Mint bowed politely, while Auburn waved her paw fervently.

"We wanted to walk to school with you!" Auburn cheered happily, her six tails wagging left and right rhythmically.

"Walk to school? But isn't the school the opposite direction from the castle? Why would you come to this side of town first?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Auburn looked at me like I was dumb. I glared back at her, trying to hid my confusion before she shook her head. "Because it's fun, duh! I love walking to school with my friends! And you live super close to Cobalt too, so this is super convenient!"

"It's not very convenient for me…" Mint whispered to herself.

"Don't be such a grump, Mint! I know you don't mind having to walk the extra distance! Besides, we get to spend more time with Cobalt! You like spending time with Cobalt right?"

"W-What?!" Mint's face instantly turned bright red (which I couldn't help but think of myself…), "U-Um, yeah! B-B-B-But not just C-C-Cobalt in p-particular! I like spending time with a-all my f-f-friends! Hahaha!"

"Riiiiighhhhttt….Anyway, are you ready Aika?! You ready to go to school?!" Auburn said in an overly excited tone.

"U-Um…" I looked away, trying to avoid their eager gazes. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks.

"Why not join your friends?" Grandpa suggested. "Life is more fun with friends! Go on, don't be shy!"

"G-Grandpa…"

"We are your friends, right?" Cobalt asked (which I feel like has been asked to me a million times by now) innocently before holding out his paw, "Won't you walk with us?"

"C-Cobalt…" I stared at his paw for a moment before nodding happily and accepting. "Y-Yeah, of course!"

"Yay!" Auburn began jumping up and down excitedly. "Let's go, let's go!"

"Here's your backpack, Aika!" Grandpa presented me the same backpack I've been using since last summer, the same one Mom gave to me. "Have a fun day at school!"

"Thanks Gran—"

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" A sudden loud scream pierced my ears. I flinched back at the unexpected shouting and covered my ears with my paws. The source, surprisingly, was from the cool and collected Mint.

"W-What gives, Mint?!" Auburn complained loudly.

"O-Oh dear, that wasn't good for my hearing…" Grandpa whined to himself quietly, his paws also covering his ears.

"I just remembered!" Mint approached Grandpa and grabbed his paw, shaking it furiously, and totally breaking her character. "You're Mr. Arte! _The _Arte! I knew your name sounded familiar! This was bothering me all day yesterday!"

"H-Huh?" Grandpa said, baffled from Mint's sudden change in behavior.

"I can see them behind you! Your paintings! That's how I remembered! You're like, _the_ most famous artist in the entire city—no, the _entire_ kingdom! I am _SUCH_ a huge fan! You're works are all so beautiful! You're an inspiration! I can only hope to be as good as you one day!"

"Oh my, you flatter me!" Grandpa rubbed the back of his head, a slight blush growing on his cheeks. "It's wonderful to see someone so young be so passionate in art!"

Auburn, Cobalt, and I all shared dumbfounded expressions. "Is she normally like this?" I whispered.

"I-I can honestly say I've never seen Mint act like this before." Auburn said blankly. "This is so weird! I don't know if I like this side of Mint!"

"Well Mint is into art, so I guess you can't blame her?" Cobalt shrugged.

Grandpa and Mint continued to ramble on art and other things as the three of us stood there, baffled out this new side of Mint. It's been several minutes, and I could tell all of us were beginning to grow impatient.

"S-Shouldn't we get going?" Cobalt asked meekly. "W-We still need to get Tea…" _I assume Tea also lives nearby here?_

"They're just talking nonstop…" I sighed.

"Ugh, we need to get going!" Auburn stomped furiously at her best friend and grabbed her from the backpack. "Mint! We're gonna be late!"

"A-Ah, b-but…! Paintings! Drawings! A-Art!" Mint complained. Cobalt and I stared at the strange scene happening in front of our eyes.

"Now's not the time for that so let's GO!" Auburn began dragging the struggling Ralts down the path and away from us.

"Oh my." Grandpa said quietly. "The princess sure can be rough." He laughed.

"Isn't it usually the other way around? I've never seen Auburn scold Mint…" Cobalt looked at me with confused eyes, in which I responded with a shrug. "Ah, whatever. We need to hurry or else we'll be late! Let's be on our way!"

"Right!" I nodded and followed Cobalt in chasing after our friends, giving Grandpa one last wave before leaving the small house. As I ran behind Cobalt, I glanced up at the clear blue sky with the sun shining bright and smiled.

_Is every day going to be this hectic now? Not that I mind, having to deal with Auburn's crazy antics is way better than struggling to survive… That's right… I don't have to do that anymore. I have a family, friends, and a home now… I've never been so happy before!_

* * *

**And there you go! Chapter 15 complete! Honestly, I feel like this was one of the more boring chapters. Not much really happened, but it was heartwarming! atleastihopeitwas**

**That's the end of what I've decided to call the Aika Arc! (Aika x Arc OTP...? NOOOOOOOOPE) I can't believe I spent the past 2~3 chapters for just two days in the story. OH WELL not that anyone actually complained. *shrugs*  
Not really sure what's gonna happen next... But I do know something super exciting is gonna be happening soon in the story! Get hyped!**

**Oh by the way, Aika's grandma's name, Helga, was taken from Houndoom's Japanese name, Hellgar...yeaaaahhh lol**

**Thanks for reading~**


	16. Chapter 16

**Oh. My. GOD.**

**THIS IS SO LATE. I WANTED TO GET THIS DONE SO MUCH EARLIER BUT EXCUSES FOR DAYS AND AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!**

**A-Anyway, I really wanted to get this up before March. AND IT'S STILL FEBRUARY FOR ME AS I TYPE THIS SO I DID IT YAAAAAASSSSS!**

**At first this was gonna be a short, 4k max chapter, but then as I wrote the word count kept increasing and...now it's at like 6.5k words. OH WELL!**

**I'm kinda iffy on how this chapter turned out, but I'm just glad I got something out before March. Hopefully the next one will be out in less than a month...**

**Oh and one more thing. I think the profile things I have on my profile are too clumpy and take up a lot of space. What do you think? Do you guys like the profiles? DO YOU EVEN KNOW THEY'RE THERE?**

**Sorry for any mistakes like always, and instertsomedumbdisclaimerhere**

* * *

Cobalt's POV

It's been a few months since that fateful day. I still think about everyone every day, their memory forever living on in my heart. But just because they'll forever live on in me… that doesn't mean I still don't miss them. I miss my parents. I miss Plum. I miss everyone from Miner's Town.

However…

I have a new life. I have new friends, even a new family…

Of course, it still hurts to think about everyone. It hurts to think that they're gone, but I'm not alone. Auburn, Tangelo, and all my other friends help soothe the pain. I'm never truly lonely. I'm so thankful for all of them, but the one I'm most thankful for is Cream. She took me in. She gave me a home. She became…my mother. And yet I can't even call her that… I know she wants to be called that, but she doesn't show it. She knows it hurts me to call her Mother, or even just Mom. If only I could just call her Mom… If only I could show her how much I appreciate and love her…

These are the thoughts that flood my mind as I silently sit at my desk as Ms. Luna walks into her classroom for the last time this year.

"Alright, alright settle down everyone! I know you are all excited for summer vacation to start, but before that, who knows what's happening this Sunday?"

"Oh I know! I know!" Auburn excitedly raises her paw, "It's Mother's Day!" I gulped at the sentence. The reason why I was having those thoughts: Mother's Day is coming up.

"That is correct! And for our last class activity we'll be making presents for our mothers! I think I've already taught you everything you need to know before 4th grade, so let's spend the last day having some fun!" Ms. Luna said excitedly as she started going from group to group, handing out art supplies.

The class shouted and cheered excitedly after hearing that we'll be spending our last day of school making presents rather than actually learning. I however stared at the ground nervously. Thoughts of Mother began to flood my mind again and I could feel a pain throbbing in my chest. I could feel my eyes start to water up as more and more images of Mother invaded my sight.

"Cobalt." I was snapped back to reality by someone calling my name. I looked up and was welcomed by a pair of worried eyes. It was Ms. Luna. I also noticed that Tangelo, Maple, and even Masello, who doesn't even have a mother like me were just as worried.

Ms. Luna smile at me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "What are you going to make for Cream?"

"H-Huh?"

"For Mother's Day? What will you be making for your mother? She is your mom, correct?" Ms. Luna winked at me. I stared at her with wide and teary eyes. Of course Cream is my mom. Mother will always be my mother, but Cream is also my mom.

I rubbed my eyes quickly and nodded happily at Ms. Luna. "Yes, of course she is. I'll think of something!"

"Hehe, well whatever you think of I'm sure she'll love it!" Ms. Luna laughed before handing out supplies to our group.

"I'm gonna make something that Mom will love! She's gonna love it way more than whatever you bought for her, Sis!" Maple taunted as she hastily went after the supplies.

"Hmph! We'll see about that!" Ms. Luna flipped the fur sticking out of her ears proudly, "I know what Mom loves, AND I have money to buy it!"

"Pssh! Everyone knows handmade gifts have more meaning than something bought from the store!"

"That may be true, but whatever you make is going to be so bad, Mo—err." Ms. Luna cut herself off after realizing she was "fighting" with Maple again. The entire class was giving Ms. Luna strange looks, especially the ones waiting for their supplies. "I-I mean, I'm sure whatever you make Mom will enjoy it as well. Haha…" Ms. Luna sighed and walked away, "I am so glad this will be my last day with you in my class Maple..."

"I heard that!" Maple shouted.

"Good!" Ms. Luna turned around quickly and stuck her tongue at her.

"Hmph!" Maple stuck her nose up with her eyes closed, "She's gonna miss me!"

"More like you're gonna miss her!" Tangelo teased with a mischievous expression.

Maple's face instantly burned a rosy red blush as she glared at Tangelo. "I-I will not! I can see her whenever I want!"

"Aw, my poor chum is going to miss her big sister teaching us!" Masello said playfully as he went for a hug. "Do not worry, your chum Masello will be by side and make sure you do not feeling lonely!"

"S-Shut up!" Maple retorted, "A-And l-let go!" Maple's blush began to grow even brighter by the teasing.

"Ahaha, sorry." Masello giggled, "I must work on my present for my dad anyway. Hehe, he's lucky that he gets a Mother's AND Father's Day present from me every year!" Masello said cheerfully, with absolutely no sadness in his voice. He must really care for his father, but I can't help but wonder what happened to his mother. He apparently gets agitated if you ask him about it, so I'll just have to refrain from that.

"By the way, I wonder how Aika is doing?" Tangelo said worriedly. _Oh yeah, Aika is in the same position as me..._

* * *

Aika's POV

"Oh boy we get to spend all day making arts and crafts! No more learning or studying! Oh what should I make for Mom?!" Auburn rambled on excitded.

"I'm sure whatever you make will please Ms. Arylide. I just have to wonder about my own Mother…" Mint said, "What about you Tea? Your mother enjoys your poems doesn't she?"

"Y-Yeah, but she reads them all the time… M-Maybe I'll try s-something different…" Tea said quietly, like how she always talks.

"A poem huh? Maybe Mom would like one of those! Oh, but I'm terrible at making poems!" Auburn laughed, with Mint and Tea giggling along with them. All three of them were discussing what they should make for Mother's Day.

I, on the other hand, couldn't get my own Mom out of my head. I sat there quietly, staring blankly at whatever was in front of me, as I replayed memories of my parents and Uncle Nita in my mind.

Just as I felt the tears begin to build up, Auburn casually asked me what I was going to make.

"W-What?"

"I said, 'What are you going to make Aika?'" Auburn repeated her words.

"B-But I don't have a M-M-Mom…" I lowered my eyes and looked away.

"So then why not try making something for your grandpa?" Someone said from behind me. It was Ms. Luna. "Mother's Day is really just a day to show your appreciation; you appreciate your grandpa right?"

"O-Of course I do! Grandpa Arte means everything to me! I owe him so much!" I raised my voice, as if I was offended or something.

"Hehe, I can tell." Ms. Luna smiled and petted my head gently. "You've grown so much over the past month, Aika. I'm really glad that you've opened."

"H-Huh?! N-No I-I-I…i-it's not like I…" My face flared up and I quickly turn my head around, avoiding Ms. Luna's eye contact. I can hear Auburn and the others giggle at my usual display of embarrassment…

"Hehehe!" Ms. Luna giggled, "Anyway here you guys go. Call me if you need any more supplies. Have fun!" Ms. Luna winked and walked away.

"You know, Ms. Luna really is a nice teacher isn't she?" Auburn commented. "I'm gonna miss her next year."

"Y-Yeah…" I answered back quietly. I looked down at the blank sheet of paper and paints Ms. Luna placed in front of me and smiled. "It's as if she knew I wanted to make a painting." I said quietly to myself.

"Oh a painting? Great idea! I just know Mr. Arte would love that!" Mint said enthusiastically. "Maybe I'll put my skills to the test and paint something as well. I've been practicing after all!" She nodded to herself and reached for a paint brush.

Ever since Grandpa took me in, I've been seeing a lot more of Mint. She comes over at least once a week and together we take some art lessons by Grandpa. I suppose you could say I've been becoming a lot closer to her.

"Heh, everyone is getting motivated all of the sudden!" Auburn said loudly, "I can't lose now! I'm gonna make the most amazing Mother's Day present ever!"

"This isn't a competition you know…" Mint sighed at Auburn's overly excited attitude.

"Shh, Mint, shh! It's more fun this way, don't be such a killjoy!" Auburn whined. I couldn't help but laugh whenever Mint and Auburn had their stupid little arguments, and it didn't take long until all four of us were all laughs and smiles.

* * *

Cobalt's POV

_*Knock knock*_

"Cobalt, are you awake? It's morning!" The sound of knocking and my door opening along with Cream's voice disrupted the silence in my room. I groggily opened an eye and was blinded by sunlight, in which I tiredly pulled my blanket over my face to block it from shining on me.

"Ugh…" I groaned, my voice muffled from my blanket.

"Cobalt? Come on dear, wake up! It's morning now! Just because it's summer vacation doesn't mean I'm going to let you sleep in late!"

"B-But…zzz…"

"Oh alright then, you can sleep in a bit longer. I was just hoping you would spend the day with me, since…" _Oh no, I forgot what today was and now she's making me feel bad!_

"I'm up! I'm up!" I hastily got my. I rubbed my eyes and yawned loudly to rid of any remaining sleepiness. "G-Good morning, Cream…"

"Hehe, good morning, Son!" Cream laughed, putting an emphasis on "son."

I jumped off and made my bed before giving Cream a warm hug. "Happy Mother's Day, Cream!"

Cream gasped and gave a little flinch under my arms, mostly likely because she wasn't expecting it, but I also suspect it might be because I didn't call her Mom. She sighed happily and placed a hand on my head. "Thank you, Cobalt."

"Oh yeah, I have a present for you!" I broke the hug and grabbed my backpack.

"For me?" Cream asked innocently in a higher pitched voice. It made me wonder if she was expecting this or not…

"Of course! You are my m-mother, so…" I said quietly as I dug through the contents of my backpack. I had a harder time than usual digging through since it was filled with school supplies due to the school year ending. "Ah, here it is." I pulled out a small paper gift bag decorated with hearts and handed it to Cream. "Happy Mother's Day…again! Heh…" I laughed sheepishly and nervously.

"Oh my, what could be inside?" Cream inspected the bag happily with shining light blue eyes. "This is…" Cream opened the bag and slowly revealed its contents. "Oh these are just adorable!" She exclaimed as she pulled out two tiny dolls: One of an Audino and another of a Riolu. They were so small Cream was able to sit both of them on the palm of her hand. "These are so cute! Is this me and you? Hehe, did you make these?"

"Y-Yeah, I know you like to sew and stuff, so I thought maybe you'd like something like this. Ms. Luna helped me sew them together, a-and I know they a bit low in quality." I looked down and shifted my feet nervously, "Ms. Luna said you would love them even if they looked bad, b-but I wanted to make something really nice and pretty to show how much I appreciate you a-and—" I noticed I was beginning to ramble, but luckily Cream cut me off.

"Oh stop that nonsense dear! These are so cute. Ms. Luna was absolutely correct, I love these! Thank you so much Son!" Cream pulled me in for one of her tight, but warm and gentle embraces.

"Y-You're welcome…" I tried to say "Mom" at the end of that sentence, but no matter how hard I tried, the words failed to leave my mouth. Luckily since Cream was hugging me, she couldn't see the conflicted expression that was probably covering my face.

I spent the rest of the morning with Cream. After breakfast, we did a lot of different things, including having her teaching me how to sew. It has difficult at first, and I stabbed myself fingers several times, but I think I started getting down technique right.

"Say, Cobalt…" Cream said hesitantly. I looked at her, slightly concerned due to the tone of her voice.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering," She looked away nervously for a second, "Would you like to display some of your photos? You know, from your family album?"

"H-Huh?" I looked at her in shock.

"I-I mean, if you want. As you can see, I do enjoy displaying pictures…" Cream turned her attention to the shelf and table in the living room decorated with several picture frames. "I was thinking, i-it may make your Mother and Father h-happy…actually no, never mind, forget I said anything."

"N-No! It's o-okay…" I stuttered. I honestly haven't opened my photo album since I got here. I thought if I went through the pictures again I would start breaking down. I looked up at Cream and smiled at her. "I think I'd like that. And I think Mother and Father would be happy too."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah!" I answered back confidentially and nodded. "I'll go get it right now!" I ran too my room and found the album in my closet. It was a bit dusty, but otherwise still good as it always was. I smiled at it and ran back to Cream.

"Here you go." I placed it on the table and opened it up. Memories instantly flooded my mind as I looked at pictures of my parents for the first time since I was rescued.

"You look so happy in all these pictures! Your parents look like wonderful Pokémon. You must've been such a happy family…" Cream said quietly with a faint smile on her face.

"Y-Y-Yeah…" I stuttered. I smiled at all the photos. I remembered each and every photo, the memories replaying crystal clear in my head.

Cream turned each page slowly. She stopped towards the end of the album and pointed at one of the pictures. "This is a wonderful photo! How does this one work?" It was a picture of Mother, Father, and I smiling happily at the camera. Mother was in the middle and holding a bouquet of gracidea flowers.

"T-That…" I could feel my body starting to tremble and tears were forming in my eyes. It was a picture from Mother's Day last year. Father and I woke up early that day to pick out a bouquet of flowers. We ended up choosing gracideas to show our thanks to Mother…

I shook my head to shake away the sadness and calm down. I didn't want to start breaking down in front of Cream, especially since I agreed to this. "Yes. This picture is perfect."

"Alright, sounds good." Cream nodded and carefully removed the picture from the album. She stood up and grabbed a blank frame from one of the closet and slowly set the picture in the frame. She then walked to the shelf decorated with pictures and placed it down gently. "Come here Cobalt, how does it look?"

I got up from the table and walked to her side. I looked where she placed my family photo and gasped quietly. It was placed next to the picture that Cream took of us on my birthday. "It's perfect." I nodded happily. "Thanks Cream."

"I'm glad you like it." Cream replied and looked at the clock hanging on the wall. "Hmm, I think it's about time for lunch. How about I cook something up?" I looked up at the time and saw it was already past noon. As if on signal I suddenly felt my stomach start to rumble. "Ahaha, it looks like your stomach likes that idea."

"Hehehe yeah…" I laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of my head. "I guess I am hungry. Thanks Cream!"

"Alright then I'll get started on that!" Cream playfully did a fist pump and headed for the kitchen. "By the way Cobalt, I actually have something else I want to show you. So we'll be heading out after lunch. Is that okay?"

"Something else?" I repeated and titled my head to the side. "Yeah, sure."

"Hehe good! Lunch will be ready in a bit."

"Sounds good! Maybe I'll keep reading one of my books. I'm so close to finishing "T&amp;I" and I can't wait to finally be done with it, but I'm dreading the final chapter for some reason! Maybe it's the amount of pages; it's the longest one in the book…" I nodded back at Cream and rambled a bit to myself while walking back to my room.

* * *

"So, where are we headed to?" I asked Cream as I walked by her side. We were walking in a different direction than where we usually go, away from the heart of Homura City and the shopping district. "I don't think I've ever gone this way before."

"You'll see soon enough." Cream answered back calmly. "I'm not surprised you've never gone down this way, but do not worry. The entire city is a safe place…mostly."

"Mostly?" I asked nervously.

"Well I mean it's not like crimes happen here all that often. If I had to define a "bad side of town" it would definitely be where Aika used to live, and even then it wasn't so bad right?"

"I-I guess…" It's not like I was scared or anything. I've lived here for almost three months now and I feel completely safe in this city. But then again, that's how I felt about Miner's Town—no that was because of the stupid Demon's Fang! That was a terrorist attack… And they've been disbanded, so there's nothing to be scared of.

I decided to shake my head to get rid of these stupid thoughts in my head. I looked around to see where we were headed. We were mostly surrounded by random buildings, including both local small shops and houses. It was a lot more quiet here compared to the shopping district, with few Pokémon outside.

"Oh!" Cream exclaimed suddenly and stopped. "Look, a flower store. Why don't we buy some flowers?"

"Um, okay." I nodded and followed Cream to the small shop.

"Welcome!" The shop owner, a Typlosion, welcomed us as we entered the store. "Oh, if it isn't Doctor Cream. What brings you here today?"

_A Typlosion? I don't know why, but I just find a Typlosion running a flower shop seems a bit weird. _I thought to myself. _Actually Fire-types in general taking care of flowers sounds odd… I don't think any of the gardeners at the castle were Fire-types._

"Hello ma'am. We're just here to pick up a bouquet."

"Ah, I see! We just stocked up with some beautiful, fresh flowers, so take your time! Let me know if you have any questions!" The owner bowed and went off back to work.

"What kind of flowers do you like, Cobalt?"

"Um, I don't have a specific favorite flower, but I do enjoy them. Some flowers are very pretty and the colors are nice to look at." I browsed the store and noticed a certain kind of flower that was particularly well stocked.

"Wow, they have a lot of these." I examined the white and yellow flowers. "They're pretty too. I wonder what these are?"

"Those are jonquils. Aren't they pretty?" A foreign, male voice answered my question. I turn around and see Jonquil grinning at me.

"J-Jonquil!" I jumped back, startled to see him here. "W-What are you doing here?!"

"Hmm? I live here, silly! My parents own this store." _W-What?!_ I stared at him, completely shocked. "Is that strange? It can't be any stranger than a Riolu living in a hospital run by an Audino!" He shrugged.

"Err, no it's not strange. Well it's a little strange that a Typhlosion owns a flower shop, but other than that, no."

"What, were you expecting a Grass-type? We're in the Fire Kingdom y'know!" Jonquil nudged me playfully.

"I know, I know!" I answered back. Jonquil began to giggle and I couldn't help but laugh along. _Now that I think about, I don't think I've even talked to Jonquil before outside our little encounter back when Tangelo and Auburn were still fighting…_

"So how have you been? I don't think I've ever had a chance to actually talk to you. Are you getting used to life here? How's Tangelo and the princess?" Jonquil suddenly bombarded me with questions. _I guess he's just interested in me…_

"U-Um," I answered nervously from the sudden questions, "Well life is good. Cream is very kind. She's very…motherly…"

"I would hope so! She is your mom right?" Jonquil teased.

"Yes, of course!" I nodded. Jonquil smiled and nodded back. "Tangelo and Auburn still have little arguments, but they're total best friends." I chuckled.

"That's good. I was honestly getting sick of seeing him being so mean to his cousin."

"But what about Garnet? He was so mean to Auburn…"

"Oh yes, well... that's just Garnet. He's mean to all the girls." He chuckled. "I do admit he is a bit of a bully."

"Then you should do something about it!" I practically shouted. You're his best friend right?"

Jonquil gasped and looked away, remaining silent for a moment. "Y-Yeah…"

"Cobalt!" Cream called out for me by the exit, a bouquet of flowers in hand, "Time to go!"

"Oh, okay!" I headed towards her. I stopped midway, turned around and quickly bowed at Jonquil. "Good-bye Jonquil."

Jonquil gasped and a slight frown grew on his face. "W-Wait!"

"Huh?" I stood there as Jonquil approached me. He reached out his hand (paw?) and offered a shake.

"I had fun talking to you. We should hang out sometime during the summer. I feel like we could be great friends."

I stood there and stared at his hand. I nodded happily and eagerly shook his hand. "Yes! I'd love that!"

Jonquil happily smiled and broke the handshake. "Awesome! I'll see you later then. Bye!" He waved and headed to the back of the store. I waved back and headed back to Cream.

"It looks like you made a new friend today!" Cream smiled.

"Yeah!" I nodded. I noticed the flowers Cream picked out. "Those…are gracideas right? You give them out when you're thankful for someone right? Those are supposed to be gifts, are you giving those to someone?"

"Hehe, it's a secret! You'll find out eventually." Cream winked at me.

We continued walking farther and farther into this unknown section of Homura City. Cream and I walked side by side, though I was slightly behind her since she was leading the way. The amount of buildings surrounding us steadily decreased, making me wonder if we were heading outside the city. Soon, however, an area that resembled a park that was fenced off with metal bar fencing came into view.

"We're almost there. Someone should be waiting for us at the entrance as well. In fact I can see them right now." Cream pointed out and increased her walking speed.

"Huh?" I tried looking ahead and saw two black Pokémon waiting at the entrance to this park. Above the entrance was a sign that had the name of the park. I read it and gasped. "H-Homura City C-Cemetery? What are we doing at a cemetery? And is that…Aika and Mr. Arte there?"

"Heeeeey! Cobalt! Ms. Cream!" Aika shouted out at us. We finally made it to the entrance and I was welcomed by a just as equally confused Poochyena. "Cobalt, do you know what's going on? Grandpa says it's a surprise and I'm just completely lost!"

"I have no idea what is going on. I didn't even know you guys were going to be here!"

"Ah, Doctor Cream and little Cobalt. Hello." Mr. Arte greeted us. I politely bowed despite having absolutely no idea what we're doing here. "I see you chose gracideas? An excellent choice."

"Hehe thanks." Cream chuckled and looked down at me and Aika. "Shall we enter? I'm sure you two are completely lost."

Aika and I nodded furiously and simultaneously. Cream and Mr. Arte giggled and entered the cemetery, gesturing us to follow. Aika and I shared nervous stares and followed the grown-ups in. They walked a relatively slow pace, which was good because I've never been in a cemetery before and this is honestly kind of freaking me out…

"This is giving me the creeps…" Aika whispered.

"I've never been in a cemetery before. I admit I'm a little freaked out as well. Are they going to show us someone's grave or something? Why would Cream and Mr. Arte have us both come here at the same time?"

"Your guess is just as good as mine." Aika shrugged.

Cream and Mr. Arte led us deep into the cemetery. I continued to turn my head left and right as I took in the scenery before me. Honestly, the place looked a lot like Homura Family Park…except with gravestones and statues everywhere and no playgrounds or gazebos. The cemetery even had hills. One particular hill in the distance had a monument with many Pokémon surrounding it. Most likely a family giving their res—_hey wait why are we heading up that hill?!_

"Why are we going up this hill?" Aika asked, "There's a whole bunch of Pokémon the—wait! Is that…?!" Aika suddenly gasped.

Aika seemed to recognize who was on top of that hill. I tried looking more closely and gasped. "W-What is going on?!" I looked at Aika with wide eyes.

"Let's hurry!" She replied, which I answered with a nod. The two of us picked up the pace and even passed Cream and Mr. Arte, who seemed to be smiling.

"Heeey! About time!" A red Pokémon shouted loudly in that ever so recognizable voice. I made it to the top of the hill, where a pair of blazing red eyes greeted me. "Hi guys!"

"A-Auburn?!" Aika and I shouted simultaneously. "And everyone else?!" Everyone that was at my birthday party was here as well. "W-What is going on here?"

"We're here to give our thanks and show our respects." Ms. Arylide walked up and smiled.

"T-To who?"

"Why don't you take a closer look?" Cream answered from behind us. "Go on, both of you."

I turned my head at Aika. I could tell from her bright pink eyes that she was just as nervous and confused as I was, and it looked like she was trembling. I gave her a nervous nod, hoping to calm her down. She made a loud gulp and nodded back slowly. Together, we walked past all our friends, who all had sad looking smiles, and stopped in front of the monument.

"T-This…" Aika whispered quietly. She took a look at the plaque on the monument and instantly gasped. She quickly covered her mouth with her paws and a bright red blush flushed her face. Her pink eyes became glossy with tears and she started crying.

I was confused at her reaction and decided to read the plaque.

_In memory of heroes of Miner's Town  
and all other lives lost to the Demon's Fang.  
May their memories forever live in our hearts._

I stood there completely speechless. The atmosphere was absolutely silent, except for the sound of sobs from me and Aika. My eyes became faucets of never ending tears.

"T-T-This is…" I tried to say despite the tears, but failed. I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked back with wet cheeks and saw it was Cream.

"It's a memorial. For your parents, Aika's parents, and everyone else that lost their lives." I noticed Cream was no longer holder the bouquet, but rather a single flower. I looked around and saw that everyone else was holding a single flower. "I told Arylide about making a memorial, and she happily funded the project."

"Oh, I did nothing. The credit goes all to you Cream." Ms. Arylide said coolly to her childhood friend.

"Heh, whatever you say." Cream chuckled. "Now," Cream removed her hand and stood straight in front of the monument. She placed her gracidea flower in front of it and placed her hands together. "Thank you, everyone. Thank you so much. Ruka, Leo, and all of Miner's Town, thank you for your sacrifices. And Sombra, Nozomi, and Nita, thank you. May you all rest in peace." Cream bowed and took a step back.

Aika and I stood there in absolute awe. The both of us continued to sob and sniffle as the rest of our friends stepped up and gave their thanks and paid their respects for…our parents…

"As the royal family of the Fire Kingdom, we give you our eternal thanks. Each and every one of you, thank you for your sacrifices." Mr. Cain said in a serious tone as he and Ms. Arylide placed their flowers next to Cream's.

"Mr. Leo? Ms. Ruka?" Auburn said nervously, "T-Thank you…thank you so much…for everything…" Auburn began crying, struggling to finish giving her thanks. "A-And thank you for saving Cobalt… Mr. Sombra, Ms. Nozomi, and Mr. Nita too…thank you for saving A-Aika…thank you so much… I'm so thankful to have met them both…they are my irreplaceable friends..." Auburn placed her flower in the pile and ran back to her parents, her cheeks completely soaked with tears. _A-Auburn…_

Mr. Arc, Ms. Nina, and Tangelo walked up next and paid their respects. Mr. Bubbington with Masello stepped forward next, with Ms. Luna with Maple, Mint and Tea afterwards. They all gave heartfelt words, only fueling Aika and my own tears and sobs.

And finally, Mr. Arte stepped forward.

"Son…" He said quietly, trying his best to fight back the tears. "When you never showed up, your mother and I assumed the worst. And soon afterward your mother joined you. I-I…was left alone… B-but then... Doctor Cream and Her Majesty…they told me the news…a-and…" At this point Mr. Arte was a complete mess, with tears pouring down his cheeks. "They told me…she lived…and now…" He wiped away his tears and looked at Aika, giving her a faint smile, "She's okay…and it's all thanks to you, your best friend, and your wonderful wife…" Mr. Arte's legs suddenly wobbled, almost falling down. Luckily he caught himself before making contact to the ground.

"G-Grandpa!" Aika rushed to his side and held onto him.

"Arte!" Cream also stepped in, in case medical assistance was needed.

"I-I'm fine, just a bit o-overwhelmed…" Mr. Arte wiped his tears again and looked at the memorial. "Thank you…all of you… Thank you so much." He gave a bow and looked down at Aika. "Aika, do you have anything you want to add?"

"I…" Aika said quietly and stepped forward. She stood before the memorial and looked down at the ground, staring at the pile of flowers.

"M-Mom, D-Dad…and Uncle Nita too…" She stood there silently. Her entire, small body was shaking. More and more tears ran down her face as she struggled to put her feelings into words. "I…I miss you. I miss you all…I-I…" Her sobbing grew more and more intense as she tried to continue. It was completely heartbreaking to watch… "I-I-I…" She slowly dropped herself on the ground and buried her face in her paws"

"Aika!" Auburn suddenly ran up to her side and placed a paw on her shoulder. It didn't take long until the rest of my friends joined Auburn in supporting Aika. I wanted to join to, but…my legs wouldn't move…

Aika looked around at everyone with widened eyes and a completely red face. "E-Everyone…"

"It's okay Aika." Tangelo placed his paw on her other shoulder, "You can do this. We'll be here by your side, right guys?"

"But of course!" Masello said proudly.

"Of course we will, right Tea?" Mint nodded and looked at our Litwick friend, who nodded back hesitantly.

"That's what friends are for right?" Maple winked.

Aika stared at them for a moment before closing her eyes and smiling. She wiped away her tears and nodded happily. "Thanks guys…" Aika turned back to the memorial and took a deep breathe.

"Mom, Dad, Uncle Nita. Thank you. I miss you all. I miss traveling from town to town, meeting new faces and sceneries… I can't thank you enough for all you've down. Mom, Dad, you were the best parents I could ever ask for. Thank you…" Aika looked back at me, causing me to gasp. She closed her eyes and turned back to the memorial. "And…Cobalt's parents and the Pokémon of Miner's Town. Thank you all…"

As Aika finished up her words, Mr. Arte reached out and presented her with the flower he was holding.

"Let us place this down together, my granddaughter…"

Aika looked at the flower intently before nodding. The two of them, both holding the flower, gently placed it on top of the pile. "Happy Mother's Day, Mom…"

I stood back in awe from everyone's words. My body was trembling and cheeks were completely damped. I wanted to join my friends and stand next to Aika too, but I was frozen in place. I was purely overwhelmed. I held my head low, trying to avoid contact from everyone, especially from my friends. I felt like I failed them because I stood back here, alone. More and more memories of Miner's Town replayed and I was about to break down until I felt a hand on my head.

"Cobalt…" It was Cream. "Why don't you say a few words?" I looked up at her, a faint smile and teary eyes on her face. She placed a Gracidea flower in my paw, apparently there was one more. "Go on."

I looked down at the flower and then back at everyone. Auburn, Aika, and the rest of my friends smiled at me as I stared at them with widened eyes. Auburn in particular had a much more gentle and welcoming smile, giving me a slow nod, and the courage to take a step forward.

Soon, with the Gracidea flower in hand, I stood in front of the memorial. I stare at the plaque and reread the words, burning them into my brain. I took a deep breath and began talking to…my parents…

"M-Mother… F-Father… Are you there? It's me… Cobalt. I…I heard what happened. You guys… you died protecting the town. You died protecting what you love. Y-You died protecting me… A-A-And… I-I-I…" The tears pouring down my face continued to fall at an increasingly fast rate as I struggled to find the right words. My legs were shaking and felt weaker and weaker by the second.

"I-I…" I managed to mutter before falling on the ground, the overwhelming emotions overpowering the strength to stand.

"Cobalt!" I heard everyone scream. Auburn and Cream were almost immediately by my side. "Cobalt, are you okay?!" Auburn practically screamed.

"Are you okay Son?!" Cream panicked. She kneeled down so that we were both at the same eye level.

"Auburn…C-C-Cream…" I managed to stutter against my sobs and sniffles. "I-I…"

"We're all here for you." Auburn comforted me. "I-I'm here for you…" She stuttered, a slight blush on her face to go with her teary eyes.

"A-Auburn…"

"If this is too much for you, we can leave. It's okay Son, no one will think poorly of you if you want to back out. I know this is incredibly overwhelming." Cream apologized. "I-I shouldn't have invited everyone, I'm s-so sorry C-C-Cobalt…" Cream cried. She began to sob heavily and she placed her hands over her face. "I-I'm sorry…"

"C-Cream…N-No…!" I put a paw on her cheek. She gasped and removed her hands, revealing her tear-covered face. "It's not your fault Cream! I'm very happy that you did this! I'm glad that everyone is here! Please don't feel sorry! You have nothing to apologize for!"

"C-Cobalt…"

I smiled at Cream before standing back up. I suddenly felt confident and took another deep breath. "Mother, Father… I know you were worried for me. You both were probably worried sick, forcing me to run away like that in the middle of a terrorist attack. But I'm okay. I'm okay now. I have a new home and new friends. And…" I stopped to look back at Cream, who was still kneeling on the ground, giving her a soft smile, "A new family. Mother, Father, I know you've already me her, but I want to introduce you to her." I looked back at her again and motioned her to stand next to me. Cream gasped, and looked worried for a split second. She blinked and hesitantly took stood up.

"This is Cream. Cream…is my new Mom. Cream is my new family. And I am so incredibly thankful for her. She's the reason I'm here now. And…I love her. I love you both of course. I love all three of my parents!" I suddenly lunged at Cream and caught her in a tight embrace. "Thank you… Thank you so so much for everything… I love you Mom!"

"C-C-Cobalt…!" Cream's voice cracked and she began sobbing like crazy. She returned my hug and buried her head on top my mine. "Thank you… I love you too Son!"

For the first time, I was able to call Cream Mom without hesitating. Mom's body radiated with warmth and kindness as she held me tightly. I buried my face and smiled, my tears dampening her chest.

I eventually broke my hug and looked at Mom. I've never seen her so happy. I smiled and laughed as I called her Mom once more. She laughed back at me and called me Son… I've never been so happy to be called that in a long time.

I turned around and stood in front of the memorial once more. "Hey…Plum? Are you there Plum? I know you must be worried sick too. You used to tease me that I'd be lost without you. And…you were right. I was so alone and scared, but…I'm good now." I looked over at my friends and motioned them to come closer. They all smiled and quickly ran over to my side. "Look, I have so many friends now, so there's no need to worry for about me okay?"

With my Gracidea flower tightly gripped in my paw, I kneeled down and gently placed it on the top of the pile. "Mother, Father, Plum, everyone and Aika's parents too! Thank you!" I stood up and walked up to Mom. I grabbed her hands and stared into her light blue eyes with a wide smile.

"Thank you, Mom!"

* * *

**HEY LOOK, IT DIDN'T END WITH A THOUGHT, BUT RATHER ACTUAL DIALOGUE :D**

**Okay, so hopefully this was an emotional chapter. Cobalt's finally calling Cream Mom :DDDD**

**And Jonquil showed up! YAY! He and Garnet will be showing up more :3**

**The chapter will...be exciting ;) hopefullyitwillbeoutinlessthan4weeks...**

**Thanks for reading!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Oh my. I did not expect this so quickly. So it's my first day of Spring Break, and I decided to spend it by STAYING UP UNTIL 5 AM WRITING YAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSS! I was just super excited to finally move on to a new part of Blazing Courage that I ended up spending all night writing! Now excused me while I pass out x_x**

**SORRY IN ADVANCE FOR GRAMMAR AND SPELLING ERRORS I TRIED TO PROOFREAD LIKE ALWAYS BUT I FAIL LIKE ALWAYS.**

* * *

Cobalt's POV

It was another normal day at school. The halls were bustling with kids, getting ready for classes to start. Some were going straight to their classes; others were hanging around in the hall with their friends. Many of them, like me, were at their lockers and putting away their backpacks and other supplies. That's right, I said lockers. We have lockers now. That's because it's our final year of middle school. All of my friends and I are now in 8th grade at Homura Middle School.

Five years have passed since I started my new life. A lot has changed since then. Homura City has been growing, and there has been an increase in population in the city. As a result, there are many new buildings, and there are also quite a few more students. Back in 3rd grade, there were only three classes in my grade. Since then that number has increased to four classes. Luckily, all eight of us stayed together all throughout elementary school.

Middle school, however, changed that. Since middle school is a lot more complex with different teachers teaching different subjects, and different levels of difficulty, my little circle of friends had trouble sticking together in classes.

But that didn't change our friendship. Though we may be separated by classes, we're all still best friends. It's not uncommon for friends to drift apart as they grow up, especially between boys and girls, but that never happened to us. Sure, we don't all hang out together as often as we did when we were kids, but we are all still the best of friends. Nothing can tear us apart or break our bonds of friendship.

"Yo, Cobalt!"

"Morning, chum!"

I turned around and was greeted by my closest male friends: Tangelo and Masello. "Hey, good morning!"

"Dude, did you hear what happened over the weekend?! Freakin' Garnet evolved!" Tangelo exclaimed loudly while waving his forelegs about. "Man, I knew he was going to be the first of our class to evolve!"

"Oh, I didn't hear about that. Good for him I guess." I shrugged. "He's a tough guy, so I suppose I'm not too surprised." I answered back calmly and a bit monotonously.

"Hmmmmm?" Masello looked at me intently.

"W-What?"

"Do I sense a bit of jealousy in your voice?"

"H-Huh?" I flinched back, "W-Why would I be jealous?! I'm not jealous!"

"Aha! That reaction tells me otherwise!" Masello smirked.

"Ooooh? Are you jealous because someone is stronger than you? Hmmmm?" Tangelo joined his teasing. I could feel my face getting slightly red, but it's more because they're teasing me rather than me being "jealous."

"I don't know what you're talking about! Who's the only one that's defeated Garnet in P.E. class again?" I said rather defensively for some reason…_Wait, am I really jealous?_

"And that's exactly why you're jealous!" Masello shouted rather obnoxiously. "Your evolution conditions are much more complicated, so you can't really evolve right now!"

"W-What?!" I flinched back again, the blush on my face burning more intensely. "T-That's absurd!" _…Or was it? I mean, I guess I really would like to be a Lucario soon… It'll at least bring me one step closer to being like my parents…And evolving into a Lucario requires more than simply leveling up._

My friends continued to giggle and tease me as I stood with my back leaned on my locker. _T-This is weird! Usually it's Auburn or Mom teasing me like this, not the guys!_

Luckily before the situation could get any more embarrassing the first bell rung and resounded throughout the halls, signaling that classes were to begin in 10 minutes.

"Aw, class time already?" Tangelo whined. "I don't wanna go to class…"

"What?! Do you intend on skipping? I would never let my bestest best chum sink down to the road of a delinquent! Let us be on our way to simple 8th grade math class!" Masello overreacted like he always does. He started shoving a whiny Tangelo down the hall.

"M-Masello! I can w-walk you know!" Tangelo's voice became quieter and quieter as Masello continued his shoving. I chuckled and waved good-bye to my friends.

I turned around back at my locker and stared at my notebooks which I labeled for each class. _Algebra 1, Honors English 8, Honors History 8, Honors Science 8…_ I thought to myself and sighed. I grabbed them and glared at them with orange eyes.

"…Sometimes I wish I was dumber so I could be in their classes." I whispered quietly to myself.

"I do too sometimes." _H-Huh?!_

"It would be nice…" _W-What?!_

I jumped back, dropping all my books. Behind me was a Ralts, Fennekin, and Poochyena, and they were all laughing.

"Ahaha, sorry Cobalt! I didn't mean to freak you out like that." Aika apologized. She reached out a paw and helped me up. Maple and Mint picked up my books and handed them to me.

"Heh, s-sorry Cobalt." Mint apologized quietly, offering my notebook.

"I-It's not your fault." I grabbed my book from her and smiled. "Thanks Mint."

"Eep!" She yelped suddenly. Her face suddenly turned red and she looked away, avoiding eye contact with me. Aika and Maple sighed and stepped closer to each other.

"_She's been getting a lot worse lastly."_

"_It's so obvious! I wonder if he knows?"_

"Um…" I stood there, completely confused at what they were doing. "What are you whispering to each other?"

"Huh? Us? Whispering?" Maple tilted her head cutely, trying to look innocent.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Aika lifted her snout haughtily. "Anyway we better get going to class! Ms. Luna will get give us detention if we're late!"

"Ugh, I still can't believe Sis actually gave me detention last time…"

"And I still can't believe she's still one of our teachers… I swear she's following us. Is she going to follow us to high school too?" Aika added.

"We can talk about that while walking to class. If I were to actually get detention, Mother would kill me. Let's go." Mint regained her composure, leading us down the hall to class.

The four of us all have Honors History 8 together. A school day consists of four core classes, lunch time, and then P.E. and two elective classes. There's only one of each Honors class, so students in Honors classes aren't separated. As a result, I have Aika and Mint in all my core classes. Maple is in Honors History 8, while she, Tea and Masello are all also in Honors English 8. Tangelo and Auburn aren't in any Honors classes, which means I only see them during lunch and elective classes. Luckily, we somehow all have P.E. together, and Auburn convinced me to join Orchestra with her.

"By the way, why did you say you wish you were dumber? Isn't that a weird thing to say?" Maple asked. "And why did you both agree with him?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Aika answered back.

"Um, no? If it was I wouldn't be asking!" Maple answered back sassily.

"Being smarter means you're put into Honor classes. It's a lot of work, and there's a lot of pressure. Plus it means you're separated from everyone else." Mint said softly, answering Maple's question as if she was reading my exact thoughts. "I have to admit, I do miss everyone else, and I'm sure that's what Cobalt thinks too."

"…Are you reading my mind or something?" I said rather bluntly.

"Contrary to popular belief, not all Psychic-types can read minds you know!" Mint said smartly.

"Are you one of those Psychic-types?"

Mint stopped walking and lowered her head. "…That is confidential information."

Maple, Aika, and I stopped as well and glared at her silently.

"…I swear I don't read your guys' mind! Do you really think I would do such a despicable thing?!" Mint practically cried. "R-Really, I don't!"

"Hahaha Mint you're so silly sometimes. Of course I trust you!" Maple laughed.

"Plus I don't think those Psychic-type tricks work on Dark-types…" Aika nodded.

I walked up to Mint and patted her shoulder. "C'mon Mint, I was just kidding!" Mint gasped loudly at my paw making contact with her and she turned around quickly. "Um, are you okay?" Mint has been acting strange lately, I've noticed.

"A-AH! S-Sorry Cobalt!" Mint looked at me with a slightly pink face. The bell suddenly rang again and resounded through the halls. "Oh no now we're really late! I must hurry! I can't get detention!" Mint suddenly began sprinting down the hallway and leaving us behind.

"She does know that second bell means we still have five minutes right? That wasn't the final bell! Class is just right over there!" Aika sighed. Maple and I laughed, with Aika soon joining and together we went walked the rest of the way to class.

The three of us walked into the classroom and took our seats next to our Ralts friend, who was breathing heavily from her sudden sprint. Unlike elementary school, we don't have assigned seats, and desks aren't grouped together. Usually Mint would take a seat in the front of the class, with Aika and Maple sitting next to her and me behind them.

"You didn't have to run like that you know. You had a higher chance of getting detention for running in the halls!" Maple said rather bluntly.

"…I panicked!" Mint lowered her head in embarrassment.

"I could tell!" Maple answered sassily, causing laughter among the three girls. I sat there and smiled, happy that even though not all my friends are here, I can still count on the ones that are here to make me laugh and smile.

Suddenly I felt someone poke me from the side. I looked over to see Jonquil giving me a strange look. Jonquil usually sat behind Maple and right next to me. "Hey, Cobalt. What's with the weird grin?"

"Oh, Jonquil, hey." I greeted my friend. Jonquil was also in two Honor classes, the same ones as Maple to be exact. "Nothing, I was just thinking…I guess…heh…" I can't forget about Jonquil too. I've grown a lot closer to the Cyndaquil ever since that day. Due to this, he's been able to convince Garnet to stop being so mean towards the girls, and being kinder overall. Garnet is still a bit of a jerk, and has a really cocky attitude, but Jonquil says that's just the way he is.

The Cyndaquil gave me another strange expression and shrugged. "If you say so. By the way did you know? Garnet evolved! He's a Combusken now!"

"So I've heard."

"He really wanted to be the first in our class to evolve, so he's been doing a lot of training lately. He also really wants to beat you in battle! I guess he kind of considers you a rival!" Jonquil laughed as he talked about his best friend.

"Rival huh? I never really thought about it that way, but I guess you could say that…" I closed my eyes and sat in deep thought. _I suppose Garnet could be considered a rival? I do battle with him a lot in P.E. class, successfully defeating him every single time._

"Oh so it's true then huh?" Maple suddenly turned around and butted in our conversation. "Garnet's evolved?" Just as Maple made her comments, the final bell rang signaling the start of class, and Ms. Luna walked in as if on cue. "Hmm, it must be nice to evolve. I know a certain someone who would just LOVE to evolve!" Maple smirked, her eyes half shut as she stared at Ms. Luna mischievously.

"E-Excuse me?! I-I'll have you know I'm perfectly fine with being a Braixen!" Ms. Luna scrambled to retort back to her younger sister. "Braixen are much cuter than Delphox!" Ms. Luna sassily flipped the fur sticking out of her ears.

"That's not what you said not too long ago to Mom!" Maple snickered, obviously having fun messing with our teacher. "You said you wish you could just grow up an—"

"OKAY, OKAY! EVERYONE CLASS IS NOW STARTING!" Ms. Luna suddenly announced with a raised voice and struggled to collect her notes. Obviously flustered, she failed to collect them neatly and dropped some papers on the ground. She stared at them for a brief second before flicking her head and giving Maple a death glare, causing some of the students to flinch and hide behind their books.

"G-Gee Sis, y-you s-s-sure are clumsy today. Eheh…heh?" Maple laughed nervously with sweat dripping down her head.

Ms. Luna lowered her head and quickly raised it back up, her demeanor completely changing and giving Maple a gentle-looking, and yet anger-filled smile. "Maple? Can you please see me after class?"

"E-Eep!" Maple practically jumped out her seat, "Y-Yes ma'am…" She sighed, defeated.

"Ahahaha, Maple is so silly…" I heard Jonquil whisper to himself. I looked at him and saw a goofy grin glued on his face and his cheeks were slightly pink. "She's so funny when she picks on her sister…"

"Jonquil?"

"AH!" Jonquil snapped out of his trance and looked at me completely mortified. "Y-Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah! Never been better!" He tried to play it off unconvincingly. I knew he was lying and something was up, but if he doesn't want to tell me right now, then I guess it's none of my business.

"R-Right…"

* * *

After lunch time, I had physical education class, or just P.E., next for fifth period. This was my favorite class, because not only were we all in the same class, I loved all of the exercising and moving around. The P.E. teacher at Homura Middle School was a Magmar with a really simple name: Mr. Mar. Class usually consisted of battling techniques and training, or team sports and games.

"Hey, Maple, how'd your 'sisterly lunch bonding time' go?" Auburn snickered. After first period, Ms. Luna had a private chat with Maple and told her to spend lunch time in her class room, or else "face the consequences."

"I-I don't wanna talk about it…" Maple shivered and sighed.

"Aw, there, there my good chum." Masello walked up to her and patted her back. "Cheer up Maple! Your chum Masello's here now!"

"Um, thanks Masello?" Maple questioned Masello's method of cheering up.

"That's what you get for always messing with your sister during class! We're not in elementary school anymore you know!" Mint waved a finger at Maple's face and scolded her.

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Maple flinched at Mint's scolding. While I do think Maple can go a bit too far sometimes, I find her and Ms. Luna's arguments a sign of a healthy, sisterly relationship.

"Oh man it looks like I missed something exciting! I wish Maple was in my history class. I miss the little arguments!" Auburn sighed.

"I'd say it was more scary than exciting…" Aika commented.

"You could've been in our Honors class if you studied a little harder!" Mint scolded.

"W-Whatever!" Auburn raised her snout and looked away.

"Heh, right on the mark! Mint never fails to keep us all on track." Tangelo laughed.

"S-She's just looking out for us…" Tea said quietly. "It shows that she cares…" She smiled gently.

"And she does a good job at it." I added with a nod.

"Y-Y-You think?" Mint stuttered at my comment and looked away with a grin on her flushed face. "H-Heh…" Before I could add anything or comment on Mint's strange behavior, Mr. Mar blew his whistle loudly to get out attention.

"Okay class, today we're going to be doing battles! I'll announce the pairings and the first pair can get started! So first…"

"Excuse me, Mr. Mar!" Garnet suddenly raised his hand, probably it being his first time doing that now that he has arms, "I have a request!"

"Oh? Spit it out then."

"Well, since _I_ have finally evolved, I request that I go first and test out my new Fighting-type. I want to see how my new weaknesses will affect me, so I would like to request a battle with the only Psychic-type in class!" Garnet pointed a claw at Mint.

"W-What? M-Me?!" Mint jumped back from Garnet's sudden challenge. "B-But I don't want to battle you! I don't even like battles!"

"Well I think it's an excellent idea!" Mr. Mar clapped his hands together and nodded. "Mint, even if you don't like battles I know how powerful you are. I think it'd be a good experience for you and Garnet as well, so you're up! Go on now; I don't wanna hear any complaints!"

"Y-Yes sir…"

* * *

Mint's POV

_Oh my gosh why is this happening? Whhhhyyyyyyyy?!_ I mentally screamed as I nervously walked to one end of the battlefield. Garnet has suddenly challenged me to a battle, and not only do I dislike battling, I especially dislike battling against physical fighters. Garnet is the aggressive type, and even though being both Psychic and Fairy-type gives me x4 resistance to Fighting-type moves, they're still going to hurt really bad due to my extremely low Defense stat.

_Okay, calm down Mint. You're smart. You've done a lot of training. You can outwit him!_ I took in deep breaths and filled my head with positive thoughts to calm myself down. _Focus Mint! Just watch his moves and react accordingly!_

"Go Mint! You got this!" I looked behind me to see all my friends cheering for me. Auburn was especially fired up. "GO MINT! KICK HIS STUPID EVOLVED BUTT!" I couldn't help but chuckle at her silly remarks. I stood in place calmly and smiled as my each and every one of my seven best friends' cheers reached me.

"You can do this! Go Mint!" Aika, Tangelo, and Maple shouted similar cheers.

"GOOD LUCK MY SMART CHUM!" _Heh, only Masello would call me that._

"G-Good luck!" _Even Tea is trying to cheer!_

"Go Mint! I believe in you!" This particular cheer got me pumped and excited, and yet nervous at the same time. I looked back and saw the cheerful Riolu waving at me. I nervously nodded and quickly faced my back towards them again, hoping Cobalt didn't see my probably slightly flushed cheeks.

"Heh," Garnet laughed cockily from the other side of the battlefield, "This should be very interesting. Don't hold back, you hear?! I definitely won't be!" _Oh my gosh he's not going to hold back I'm going to die oh my gosh this is going to hurt so much!_

"And…BEGIN!" Mr. Mar blew his whistle, signaling us to start the battle.

"Here I go!" Garnet shouted and charged at me with a Quick Attack. _Oh my gosh here he comes! OH MY GOSH WHY IS HE SO FAST?! QUICK MINT, DO SOMETHING!_

"A-Ah…EEK!" I stood there like an idiot and screamed, unable to react. Garnet's Quick Attack hit me at full force and sent me flying back, my back hitting against the wall before falling on the ground. "AAH!" I screamed in pain.

"MINT!" The entire class practically gasped and shouted.

"What are you doing, Mint?! This is a battle! I know you're better than that!" Garnet yelled at me, obviously irritated.

"A-Ah…" I slowly stood back up, rubbing my back from the pain. _T-That was a powerful Quick Attack… So this is what it's like to battle a physical fighter…_ I've never actually had a battle like this before. Most of my battles are against special attackers, like Auburn or Mother. Auburn's Quick Attack is not even a quarter strong as Garnet's. "S-Sorry… Your speed s-startled me, I g-guess… Ow that hurts.."

"Hmph, at this rate this is going to be easier than I thought." Garnet sighed and charged at me again. _Watch his movement, Mint! React properly!_ I glued my attention at Garnet as he approached, but I couldn't tell what attack he was going to use. _What is going to do?! Why are physical battles so complicated?!_

"Watch out Mint! He's going for a Double Kick!" Cobalt warned me.

"Hey, no coaching!" Mr. Mar scolded.

Taking Cobalt's advice in mind, I thought about what I should do decided to go for Double Team before Garnet got too close. He jumped up and used Double Kick right where I was standing, only for one of my duplicates to disappear.

"W-What?!"

While he was still confused, I took the chance to attack! I let out a loud cry and released a Disarming Voice. Now that Garnet is half Fighting-type, he doesn't resist Fairy-type attacks anymore. Plus Disarming Voice never misses, so I knew he wouldn't be able to dodge.

"A-Ah!" Garnet shouted as the sharp cries of Disarming Voice hit its target. "H-Heh, not bad! I see that Fairy-type attacks hurt a lot more now!"

"GOOD JOB MINT! GO, GO, GO! YOU CAN WIN THIS!" Auburn continued her loud cheering, which honestly was a huge confidence booster. _Maybe I really can do this!_

"Don't get cocky just cuz one of your attacks hit!" Garnet suddenly engulfed himself in flames and charged at me. I recognized this to be Flame Charge and knew I had to dodge this because if it hit, his speed's going to increase even higher.

Garnet's Flame Charge ran straight through my duplicates, causing them to disappear. "One of these has to be you!" He continued to ram into my duplicates one by one. I decided to take the offensive while he struggled to find me and hit him with Confusion.

"Urk!" The flames surrounding his body vanished as the purple, telekinesis rings surrounded him and attacked, stopping his movements and causing him to fall on one of his knees. "Okay, Psychic-type attacks really hurt now...But!" He got up and shot Embers all around him, getting rid of the rest of my duplicates and even hitting me, the tiny flames hurting me and revealing my position, "I'm not going to let that stop me!"

With my position now known, Garnet dashed straight at me with another Flame Charge, this time so quickly I was unable to react or defend properly.

"AH!" I shouted as I was knocked onto the ground, the fire attack causing a burning sensation all over my body. I laid there on the ground, entire body in pain. _OUCH THAT ONE REALLY HURT! _I struggled to get up, but failed.

"Is that all you got?!" Garnet taunted me.

"MINT! COME ON MINT, GET UP!" Auburn shouted. Everyone else shouted similar things at me as I remained on the ground. I weakly tried getting up again and was somehow successful, perhaps thanks to my friends.

"I knew you had it in you!" Garnet snickered and charged at me again with a Quick Attack. Thanks to the speed boost of Flame Charge, this one was even faster than the last one.

As the powerful Combusken came closer and closer, I began to panic. My eyes widened and just as he made contact with me, I used Teleport to avoid any possible damage, appearing a short distance away from Garnet.

"Nice try!" Garnet smirked and quickly redirected his Quick Attack around and straight at me. Completely not expecting him to react so perfectly, I took the Quick Attack at full force and was launched mid-air.

"AAHHH!" I screamed as I made contact to the ground and slid and tumbled across the battlefield. When I finally lost momentum, I didn't even have enough energy in me to lift my head. My entire body was in pain.

"MINT!" Auburn screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Time to end this!" Garnet announced proudly. I could sense him slowly approaching from across the battlefield.

"Garnet, aren't you going a bit too far?!" Maple screamed.

"Yeah, man I think she's knocked out!" Tangelo added. _I think I am too…_

"Garnet, c'mon, that's enough right?" Jonquil said with concern in his voice.

"Hmph, I suppose, but it's up to Mr. Mar to call!"

"Well…" Mr. Mar paused, "I think we can call this a victory for Garnet. Mint is unable to—"

"Wait!" A most recognizable voice cut off Mr. Mar from ending the battle. I managed to raise my head and look at Cobalt with horror, my mind racing as to why Cobalt would interrupt him. "I don't think it's over yet! You can get up still right Mint? Right?!"

_H-Huh? Why does he think I can still battle? I probably look like a total mess, and my entire body is in pain! I just want to go to the Nurse's office already… _I thought to myself, questioning Cobalt's thinking.

"You're better than this Mint! I've seen you battle! Come on, get up!" Cobalt continued shouting, putting his full faith into me. "I believe in you!" _He believes in me…?_

"C-Cobalt, I know Mint is tough but…" Auburn said with concern. Her ears were drooped down and she looked at me. I've never seen Auburn give me that kind of face before…

"I can tell! She still has it in her! You know it too right Mint?!" _I…I honestly don't know…_

However, Cobalt's shouting was doing something to me. He believes in me, and I think…it might actually be giving me energy.

"Well, if Cobalt thinks so, then so do I! Get up Mint!" Aika joined Cobalt in cheering for me to get up.

"I-I b-believe in her…Mint…please…g-get up!" _Tea…_

"Come on chum, get up and stand tall and proud! I have faith you will be victorious!" _Masello…_

"Mint it would be SO cool if you were to win this, so I'm not gonna give up on you either! Get up!" _Tangelo…_

"Oh wow, everyone's getting really fired up all of the sudden! You got this Mint!" _Maple…_

"M-Mint…" _Auburn…she sounds like she's about to cry…_ "I-I believe in you too!"

"MINT! MINT! MINT! MINT!" The entire class was soon chanting my name. As the cheering grew in volume and intensity, so did my energy. With tired arms, I miraculously lifted myself up slowly.

"FIGHT ON MINT! I KNOW YOU CAN WIN THIS! GO!" _C-Cobalt…!_

Suddenly, a strange light engulfed my entire body. My vision went blank as a mysterious power started flowing through me. It was a soothing sensation, and I felt as if my body was growing. _A-Am I…?!_

"N-No way!" I heard Garnet gasp loudly.

"M-Mint…!" Auburn cried.

"She's evolving!" Cobalt shouted.

Soon the light enveloping me vanished, revealing my new form. I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings. Everything…looked shorter. No, I was taller now! And my vision was much clearer now that my eyes aren't completely blocked. I moved and stretched my arms and legs and I could instantly feel that I've gained a new power and was much more nimble. _Oh my gosh! I EVOLVED! I'm a Kirlia now! Maybe I really can win this! _My newfound optimism along with the cheers of my friends and classmates filled me with the energy to fight on.

I took a deep breath and took a battle position. "Garnet! I, Mint the Kirlia, will come out of this battle victorious!" …I admit was trying to look cool, picturing this scenario in my head. Luckily, I think it went well because everyone started cheering even louder.

Garnet's eyes widened for a brief second before he scoffed. "Pfft, we'll see about that!" Garnet enveloped his body in flames and came at me with a Flame Charge.

I quickly reached out my arms and concentrated to perform Confusion. Purple rings of telekinesis power surrounded Garnet, however they looked much more powerful and there were many more of them than normal. _T-That's…!_

"It's Psychic!" Cobalt shouted excitedly.

"W-What the?!" The purple rings struck Garnet, causing major damage as Garnet shouted in pain and collapsed on the ground. "G-GAH!" He fell onto the ground and remained motionless. I remained calm and kept my battle stance, in case he was playing some stupid trick on me.

"G-Garnet!" Jonquil shouted in worry.

"Oh my, that was quite a powerful Psychic attack! I think he may be knocked out." Mr. Mar leaned in to examine Garnet. "Yup, he's knocked out. Garnet is unable to battle! Mint is the winner!"

"H-Huh? I-I won?" I stood there dumbfounded. The whole battlefield was filled with cheers and shouts from Mr. Mar's declaration of my victory. "I-I won! I did it!"

"MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINT!" I looked over to see all my friends charging at me.

"OHMIGOSH MINT! YOU EVOLVED! I-I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!" Auburn trapped me in one of her infamous embraces.

"A-Auburn!"

"O-OH, I'M SO HAPPY TOO! YOU WERE SIMPLY AMAZING, MY NEWLY-EVOLVED CHUM!" Masello, like always, joined Auburn in the tight embrace.

"G-Guys…t-too tight…also…body s-still in pain…" I coughed and winced.

"Oh, right, sorry!" Auburn apologized and let go, "Masello, let go of her!"

"B-But I'm so happy sh—"

"LET GO OF HER YOU'RE HURTING HER!"

"Y-Yes Your Highness!" Masello quickly let go and ran behind Tangelo. "Help me Tangelo your cousin is scaring me!"

"Dude it's because you're hurting Mint! She just had one of the most epic battles I've ever seen! Mint, that was SO cool!" Tangelo looked at me with gleaming eyes.

"Me? C-Cool? I-I don't know…"

"Mint!" Tea exclaimed, a rare sight. "Y-You evolved! And you defeated Garnet! You are really cool!"

"T-Tea…"

"Mint that was such an amazing battle! And you evolved before me! I expect nothing less from my rival!" Aika said happily. _R-Rival?_

"Rival? When did that happen? I mean, I guess we do compete for the top score all the time…"

"And you're my rival in art too! One day I'll paint something that'll wow Grandpa more than you!" Aika stared at me with determination. Mr. Arte always loved whatever Aika would make, but to my surprise Mr. Arte actually acknowledge that I have skill! I smiled and nodded back at her.

"Mint! You're a Kirlia now! Ohmigosh you're so pretty now!" Maple walked around me, observing my new form. "Your skirt thing is so cute! Oh and I love your pig tail things!"

"I-I guess they do look cute…" I messed with my new features. My face became flushed in red from Maple examination and compliments. _Okay, I admit these really are cute._ I giggled as I played with my new hairstyle.

"Oh come on girl, you're so much cuter now! Be proud!" Maple nudged me playfully and grinned. "I bet Cobalt thinks so too! Right, Cobalt?" _W-WHAT?!_

"Huh?" Cobalt blinked, "Oh, yes! Mint you look much cuter! And you've grown stronger too! You've become quite elegant and lovely." Cobalt nodded.

"W-WH-WH-WH-WH-WHHHAAAAAAT?!" I felt all the blood in my body rush up to my head. My face was probably redder than Auburn's blazing eyes, and my vision grew fuzzy. My entire body suddenly felt light and weak, and my legs failed to support my weight as I suddenly lost consciousness, my name being the last thing I heard.

* * *

**OHMIGOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSHHHH**

**COBALT AND FRIENDS HAVE GROWN UP :O I've adjusted their profiles accordingly too, so check that out if you're interested :D  
Yes I did a time jump. If you remember way back in the beginning of the story, I said that this was based off something that I read many years ago. And in the original story after the Vulpix rescues the Riolu, they have a time jump to adulthood! And I was originally gonna go straight to high school, but after some talking and thinking with a pair of my fellow author buddies (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) I was convinced to add middle school days. So... here we are!**

**Welcome to the Middle School Days! I only plan to spend a few chapters here BUT PLANS CHANGE ALL THE TIME! (this part wasn't even supposed to happen!) The ONE thing I'm finally excited about with middle school being here is that I'M FINALLY GONNA TOUCH THE ROMANCE PART OF THE STORY! AFTER ALMOST ONE YEAR OF WRITING, I'M FINALLY GETTING INTO SOME ROMANCE! I hope you're just as excited as I am :3  
**

**So anyway, MINT EVOLVED! Middle school is gonna have a good amount of focus on Mint. I'm excited! GET HYPED! Oh and I need to mention Ms. Luna is getting the Mr. Feeney treatment from "Boy Meets World." hahaha xD I didn't just want to leave her behind in 3rd grade!**

**Also, I need to apologize if the battle scene was...weird. I'm not very good at writing action, but I tried ;A; pleasedontflamemetooharshly**

**Thanks for reading!**


	18. Chapter 18

**WHOA ANOTHER CHAPTER ALREADY?! GOD BLESS SPRING BREAK, FOR IT HAS GIVEN ME THE TIME AND INSPIRATION TO WRITE FOR DAYS! YAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Unfortunately spring break is almost over NOOOOO ;A; So don't expect another chapter for probably the next month lol. Oh, Blazing Courage's one-year anniversary is on April 9th, so there DEFINITELY will be a chapter update by then!**

**Okay so I'm just really hyped about this stuff finally happening. So much gets revealed in this chapter, SO I HOPE YOU'RE READY!**

**OH AND BEFORE I LET YOU START READING, ONE MORE THING! There's this Guest that's been leaving really nice reviews lately, and I wish I could reply back to them BUT I CAN'T CUZ HE'S A GUEST! GUESTPLSMAKEANACCOUNTORSOMETHINGIWANNATHANKYOUFORYOURKINDWORDSANDSTUFF**

* * *

Mint's POV

A_ gentle wind blew against my face as I sat on the warm sand of the isolated beach. I was in complete solitude and peace as I gazed out at the sea. The sky was a beautiful mixture of orange and pink as the sun began to set in the horizon, its rays glistening in sea._

"_What a beautiful view…" I whispered to myself as I was completely captivated by the beauty of nature._

"_It is, isn't it?" My eyes widened from the sudden intrusion of a foreign sound that didn't belong to the waves of the sea. I looked up and was greeted by a pair of shining orange eyes and perfect cobalt-blue fur…_

"_Hello Mint. Is this seat taken?" Cobalt asked. Just the sound of his voice makes me freeze up. I nodded hastily and allowed Cobalt to sit next to me. His gentle, smiling face is enough to make me melt…_

_The two of us sat together, side by side, watching the sun slowly disappear into the horizon in complete awkward silence…or rather, it was awkward for me… I could tell my face was painted a bright red and I could hear my heart racing, each thump getting louder and louder as if it was trying to escape from its prison in my chest._

"_Say, Mint?"_

"_Y-Y-Yes…?" I turned my head to look at Cobalt, only to see him looking at intently and quite close to my own face. I immediately felt the bullets of sweat drop down my face and jumped back from his sudden closeness, falling on my back and onto the comforting sand. "A-Ah…!"_

"_Oh!" Cobalt got up by instinct and reached out to help me up. "U-Umm I'm sorry!"_

_I stared at his blue paw and felt my face become warmer and warmer before hesitantly accepting it. "T-Thanks…" Cobalt used his powerful, muscular arms to lift me up. Overestimating how much strength it would require, he ended up using too much force, causing me to fall onto his chest. _

"_E-EEP!" I squealed. But rather than jumping back in absolute embarrassment, I, to my surprise, remained in spot. My face was placed against his chest and I could hear his heartbeat, the warmth of his body relaxing and oh so comfortable…_

"_M-Mint?" I slowly looked up and my eyes widened as I finally snapped back to reality._

"_O-OH MY GOSH!" I jumped back and hid my bright red face behind my hands. "I'M SO SORRY!"_

"_Heh…" He chuckled to my surprised. "I-It's okay. I actually liked it…"_

"_Y-You what?" I moved my hands so I could peek at him while still hiding my face, baffled from his answer._

"_Mint…" Cobalt walked up to me and moved my hands away from my face, revealing my teary blue eyes and rosy red cheeks. "There. Much better." He smiled at me, and if possible I would've melted into a puddle right on the spot. Cobalt then placed a paw on my cheek and stared at me with his beautiful orange eyes…_

"_Mint, I have something to tell you." My heart began pounding at rate faster than the Legendary Deoxys' Speed Forme as my imagination began to run wild on what he could possibly have to tell me. "Mint, ever since we were kids…I've always lo—"_

"A-AH!"

My eyes opened immediately and I sprung up, my entire body covered in sweat, my heart beating wildly, and my face on fire.

"W-What was that?!" I said with heavy breathing. _W-Was that a dream?_

"Oh my, you're awake! Are you okay?!" A Chansey ran up to me with worry. It was the school nurse, Ms. Lucy. "I heard a scream and came running!"

"M-Ms. Lucy? That means I'm…" I looked around and recognized this room as the Nurse's Office.

"Yes, you're still at school, in the Nurse's Office. How are you feeling?"

"I-I'm okay…" I tried moving my body around to see how I felt. "Yes, I'm fine." I nodded. "W-What happened?"

"You suddenly fainted after your evolution and exhausting battle in P.E. today. Your friends brought you here. I believe it was Cobalt that carried you."

"Oh, I see—wait did you say Cobalt carried me here?!" I gasped and felt my face heat up.

"Yes that's right."

"O-O-Oh, I-I-I s-see…" I stuttered nervously. I shook my head to rid of my blush and looked up at the clock. It was around 3:15 pm, meaning school just ended. "Oh no, I slept through the rest of my classes…"

"It's okay, your teachers have been informed of the situation." Ms. Lucy nodded. "Your friends came by to see you when school ended, but I had to drive them away because you were resting. Her Highness was especially worried. If you're feeling okay, you can still make it to club activities, those just started."

I nodded and slowly stepped off the bed. "I think I'm feeling much better now, so I just might do that. Thank you Ms. Lucy." I bowed politely.

"Just doing my job!" She laughed. "Oh but before you go off to your club, you should contact your parents. I let your mother know what happened and she was going to get you after work if you were still sleeping."

"I'll do that, thank you." I bowed once more and left the Nurse's Office. There were very few students in the hall due to school day ending.

_Oh gosh, I can't believe I fell unconscious…and now Mother knows I evolved. I wanted to surprise her today. I better tell her I'm okay…_ I thought as I made my way to my locker, which conveniently was near the Nurse's Office. I stood at my locker and closed my eyes to concentrate to connect to Mother telepathically.

…

"…_Mint is that you?!" Mother gasped._

"_Yes it's me. Hello Mother. Sorry to bother you while you're at work. I'm not interrupting anything am I?"_

"_No need to apologize, Mint. I'm more worried about you. Are you okay?"_

"_Yes I'm fine. Ms. Lucy took good care of me, so I'm good. I guess I overdid it in that battle today in P.E. class. I'm not used to fighting against physical fighters."_

"_Ah, I see. We can adjust your training schedule then. But I must say the schedule I created must be working, seeing as you evolved! Ohoho!" Mother laughed. "Congratulations Mint! I am quite proud of you."_

"_Thank you Mother."_

"_Are you heading home now?"_

"_Not yet. It's Monday and I have club activities today."_

"_Ah, yes. Art Club." Mother said rather monotonously. "As long as your grades do not slip and you are home by dinner…"_

"_Yes Mother I know."_

"_Good. I must go back to work now. I'll let your Father know you're awake as well. Good-bye, Mint."_

"_Good-bye, Mother."_

…

"Haa…" I sighed. Mother has always been a bit disapproving of my hobbies, as she thinks it "gets in the way of my studies and the road to becoming a doctor." _At least she's happy that I'm fine and evolved._

I opened my locker and collected my books and notes that I'll need for studying later tonight and stuffed them in my backpack. Since I've evolved, I had to adjust the straps on my backpack so that it'd fit more comfortably. Once I was done, I made my way to the art room.

The Art Club meets up twice a week, every Monday and Thursday, to, as the club name implies, make art. The club is one of the smaller clubs, with less than ten members. Not surprisingly, Aika was nominated as the President this year after the last president graduated middle school, with her forcing me to be Vice President. Not that I minded...

"I'm sorry I'm late!" I opened up the door to the art room and walked in while apologizing.

"Mint!" The entire club stopped what they were doing and gasped while staring at me. Aika quickly ran over to my side.

"Y-You're awake! Th-That was fast! Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry to worry you all." I bowed. "And thanks for taking me to the Nurse's Office."

"Hey, no need to apologize! I'm just glad you're okay." Aika smiled. I couldn't help but think how cold this Poochyena was just a few years ago. I never would've imagined that one day she would be one of my best friends. "Besides," she looked at me mischievously, "It was Cobalt that did the hard work and carried you."

I made a high pitched squeal and looked away. "S-So I heard." I ignored Aika's giggling and sighed.

"Still, I don't blame you for fainting like that. That was an amazing battle if I've ever seen one! I need to do some more training myself or else I'll fall behind my rival!"

I looked at Aika with a surprised expression and smiled at the sound of her calling me her rival. "W-Well in that case I better keep on working so that I can keep my lead!" I said with determination, imitating Aika's competitive tone.

"Heh, that's what I wanted to hear!" Aika laughed. "So hey, we're working on our paintings today. We only have a month until the deadline for display at the art gallery! Remember, the museum is doing a "love" theme for Valentine's Day, so paint something that expresses "love." It doesn't have to be romantic love either; it can be friendship or family love as well."

"Oh yes that's right. I'll get started then." I nodded and took a seat at an empty easel and canvas. The Homura Museum likes to display works of art from students and often asks the Art Clubs in middle and high school to share our works of art. This time they're doing a love theme to go with the soon approaching Valentine's Day.

"L-Love…" I whispered to myself and sat on my seat in deep thought. I closed my eyes and I instantly had that dream I had earlier replay in my mind. I remembered how warm and comfortable the sand was, how relaxing the sound of the waves were, the salty wind of the sea blowing on my face and causing pig tails to sway, and the beauty of the sunset, painting the sky an orange and pink and glittering in the waves.

The Fire Kingdom is landlocked and near the mountains, so there are no beaches, meaning I've never been to an actual beach. I've always wanted to go to one, so I remembered each and every single detail of that dream, especially when Cobalt appe—wait. Why _was_ Cobalt in my dream? I began to ponder for reasons as to why he was even there in the first place…

For a very long time now, perhaps even as far back to when we first met, I've noticed that being near Cobalt made me feel…strange. I would stutter and lose my cool. My cheeks would begin to heat up. I used to think that maybe it was just some weird, childish crush, because Cobalt was my first close male friend I ever made, but these strange things never faded away. In fact, as we grew older, these feelings only grew stronger. No one ever questioned it, so neither did I. Surely Cobalt or someone would notice these strange actions, right?

As I thought of Cobalt more and more, the beating of my heart increased in intensity. It felt like it wanted to burst, and my face began to heat up. And then I thought about what we were doing in that dream.

_Let's see, I remember that Cobalt got really close to me and stared at me with those dreamy, beautiful orange eyes of his—wait, d-dreamy? Wh-What are you thinking, Mint?! A-Anyway, I remember I fell down and then he lifted me up… But then he used too much power and I ending up falling onto his c-chest and…I-I…I stayed there…and it felt so relaxing… Oh my gosh, it felt so nice being leaning on him like t—wait what?! A-ANYWAY! I jumped away, hid my face and then he… O-Oh my gosh he placed a paw on his face and w-w-w-w-was a-a-about t-t-t-to s-s-say….!_

"A-AH!" I screamed and nearly fell off my stool.

"M-Mint?!" Aika shouted and ran to my side. "Are you okay?!"

"I-I…" I stuttered while breathing heavily, "Y-Yeah… I'm okay." I looked around and saw that it was just me and Aika in the club room. "Where did everyone go?"

"They already left. It's almost 5:30. The teachers are going to kick us out soon."

"WH-WHAT?!" I screamed again. "W-When did that happen?! H-How did I not notice?! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"We tried telling you! Everyone tried talking to you but you were so focused on your painting! I had to tell them to leave you alone because I didn't want you to lose your focus. I've never seen you so concentrated before! What were you even painting?" Aika went ahead and took the liberty to take a look at my canvas.

"Wow, what a beautiful beach!" Aika exclaimed. I blinked and stared at my painting.

"W-What the…? D-Did I paint that?" I dropped my jaw after seeing what I apparently did for the past two hours. It was the exact same scenery I saw in my dream. "H-How..?"

"No wonder you were so focused, this is amazing! This is so pretty!" Aika stared with gleaming eyes. "Oh, but what's this? It looks like you starting painting someone on the beach…!" Aika gasped before giggling. "Oho, well, well, what do we have here?"

"What?" I questioned Aika and leaned in to see what she was talking about. I scanned the painting until I noticed the blue outline of a certain Pokémon standing on the beach. "WH-WHW-WW-HW-WHAAAAT?!" I fell off my stool, freaking out and in absolute embarrassment, falling face first on the floor.

"Ouch, that looked painful." Aika sat on the floor next to me, "Are you okay?"

"Ow…I-I think…" I lifted my bright red face and rubbed it to ease the pain.

"Geeze if evolution brings clumsiness, I'm not so sure I want to evolve!" Aika joked. Rather than make a sassy remark, I ignored it and hid my face in my arms, still lying on the floor.

"H-Hey, what's wrong?" Aika noticed my reserved behavior.

"I-I…" I stuttered with a muffled voice.

"That was Cobalt you painted, isn't it?" I remained silent. I decided to take a peek and saw Aika reaching out her paw to help me up, which I reluctantly accepted.

"…I think."

"You think?"

"I-I…umm…" I began to sweat nervously. My heart was pounding wildly. "I-I don't even remember painting this…"

"What do you mean?"

"I-I…this entire time I was thinking about…my d-dream…

"Your dream?"

"I had a dream while I was unconscious…"

"What kind of dream?" Aika gulped.

"W-Well…"

"Oh, she's awake!" Aika and I turned around to the door entrance to see Ms. Luna and Maple. Maple ran up to us and starting jumping up and down excitedly. I couldn't help but think of a certain princess after seeing her behavior. "Mint you're awake! Oh thank goodness! I'm so happy! But…" Maple's demeanor changed, "Why are you guys sitting on the floor?"

"M-Maple…"

"Mint, I'm glad to see you're feeling better. And I'm even more glad to see that you've evolved. Congratulations!" Ms. Luna walked up and stood beside her younger sister.

"Th-Thank you Ms. Luna…" I got up and bowed politely.

Ms. Luna chuckled and nodded. "By the way, it's already 5:30. All students must head home now."

"O-Oh, alright then." Aika nodded sadly. "Come on Mint, we have to clean up real quick."

"R-Right…"

"Hey, is something wrong you guys? You both seem kinda down." Maple frowned.

"W-Well…" I answered quietly and nervously. I closed my eyes for a moment to think before making my decision. "Ms. Luna, may I speak to Aika and Maple alone for a moment?"

"Hmm? Well…"

"Please?" Aika pleaded.

"Sis, I think something is up. Can't we just stay here for a bit?" Maple begged as well.

"Oh alright then." Ms. Luna sighed and smiled. "But you absolutely must be out of the school before 6 pm. Maple, I'll be waiting at the school entrance."

"T-Thank you, Ms. Luna!" I bowed once more. Ms. Luna winked and left the room.

"So, what is this all about?" Maple asked with concern, "Did something bad happen?!"

"N-N-Not necessarily…" My face began to heat up and I looked down at the floor.

"She was about to tell me about a dream she had while she was unconscious." Aika informed Maple.

"Ooh? That sounds interesting! Well I'm all ears!" Maple suddenly looked at me intently with her shining purple eyes.

"O-Okay, so…"

…

…

"…A-And that's what was on my mind for the past two hours, where I subconsciously painted this." I showed Maple my painting, putting emphasis on a certain Riolu.

"W-Woah this is an incredible painting!—Wait no! Y-Your dream!" Maple and Aika shared glances and began to giggle.

"W-What's so funny?"

"You are, silly!" Maple said bluntly. I tilted my head in confusion.

"Come on Mint, are you only now realizing it?"

"W-What?!" I flinched back. "You guys knew?! W-Was it that obvious?! Why didn't you guys say anything?!"

"Because you're just too cute!" Maple poked my cheek.

"H-Hey!"

"Sorry!" Maple laughed. "You can can't just go up to someone and be like 'HEY DO YOU LIKE BLAHBLAHBLAH?'!" _I guess she has a point…_ "Besides you really are just too cute!"

I stared at her silently and looked away. "…D-Do you think Cobalt thinks that too? I-I-I mean he did say that before I fainted b-b-but…" I whispered quietly and closed my eyes tightly, embarrassed from asking that. The room remained silent for a few painful seconds, and I opened my eyes to see what was going on, only to see Maple and Aika with goofy grins on their face.

"Ohmigosh Mint!" Maple's purple eyes shined brightly as she smiled widely.

"Wow that was so girly and out of character! Hahaha!" Aika laughed.

"S-Shut up! I-I seriously don't know what to do here…I-I…I think I might…l-l-l-lo..." I paused and breathed heavily. I swear my heart would've exploded right then and there. "I think I'm in love with Cobalt…"

"AAAAAAAAHHH! OHMIGOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH!" Maple squealed.

"SHE SAID IT SHE SAID IT SHE SAID IT SHE SAID IT SHE SAID IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTT!" Aika began running in circles and screaming.

I stood there, frozen in place and speechless as my friends freaked out. This definitely was not the reaction I was expecting, and to be honest it was a bit irritating, and absolutely embarrassing. I looked up at the clock and my heart felt like it stopped its rapid beating for one split second.

"IT'S ALMOST 6PM OH MY GOSH I NEED TO GET HOME BEFORE MOTHER KILLS ME!" I joined Aika and ran around the room in a circle, my hands on my head and screaming. "Wait, what am I doing?! I seriously need to get home! GUYS, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS TOMORROW. DO NOT TELL ANYONE ABOUT THIS. I SERIOUSLY MUST GO RIGHT NOW!" And with that, I used Teleport and teleported out of the room before Aika or Maple could give me any sort of response.

* * *

Aika's POV

"S-She teleported…" I looked at the clock to confirm what Mint said and freaked out. "OH CRAP IT REALLY IS LATE! QUICK MAPLE PLEASE HELP ME CLEAN REALLY QUICK!"

"U-Uh, yeah sure!"

After doing some quick last minute cleaning, which mostly consisted of shoving supplies into the closest drawer or cabinet, Maple and I dashed out the school halls and outside in front of the entrance where an angry Braixen tapping her foot waited for us.

"You're late!" Ms. Luna yelled at us when we finally exited the school.

"We're sorry!" Maple and I bowed at the same time.

Ms. Luna closed her eyes and shook her head. "Ugh, I'll let it go this time." Ms. Luna sighed. "By the way, where's Mint? I didn't see her leave. She better not still be in the school!"

"No, no, she freaked out after seeing the time and teleported suddenly! She didn't even help Aika clean the art room, I had to do it!"

"Oh, well as long as she's not in the school anymore. Let's go home now Maple, I'm starving!"

"I hope Mom made something good for dinner!" Maple ran up to her sister's side and waved good-bye to me. "See you tomorrow Aika!"

"W-Wait!" I shouted. Ms. Luna and Maple turned around and gave me concerned glances. "Ms. Luna, is it okay if I borrow Maple for a bit? I need to talk to her alone."

"But it's getting really late. Aika you should really be heading home now. I'm sure your grandfather must be worried right now!"

"E-Err…" I couldn't argue with that, but I really wanted to discuss about this more with Maple. "Y-Yeah but…" I looked down with a slightly flushed face.

"Oh c'mon Sis! Mint told us something really important and we haven't had a chance to collect our thoughts on it. It'll be really quick!"

"F-Fine, but if Mom gets angry for us being so late, it's your fault! I'm not making up any excuses this time! You have five minutes." Ms. Luna said with a strict tone and walked away to give us some privacy.

"T-Thanks Maple." I managed to mutter.

"No prob! I wanted to talk about this more with you anyway. So what's your opinion on all this?"

"Well I'm happy that Mint's finally being true to herself, but… l-love? That's such a…powerful word…" I said worriedly with a blush on my face.

"But you've seen how Mint's been ever since we were kids. Even Cobalt notices that Mint acts a little odd sometimes around him, and yet I have a feeling he's completely clueless."

"Do you think he likes her back?"

"I honestly have no idea…"

I gulped before deciding to let out more of my thoughts. "D-Do you think Cobalt has a crush on a-any of us?"

Maple's eyes widened and a faint blush formed on her face. "I-I don't know! W-Why, do you like C-Cobalt?"

"W-W-WHAT? D-Don't be ridiculous!" I retorted.

"Oooh? That sounded a bit defensive!" Maple looked at me with a stupid grin.

"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about! A-As if I'd have a crush on a-anyone!" I snarled with my face being covered in red. "W-What about you?! Do you like Cobalt?!"

"M-Me? Weeeelllll…." Maple thought about it without getting defensive much to my surprise, "I wouldn't be against the idea of dating Cobalt. He's a really nice guy. And he's cute! Let's just say if he asked me out, I wouldn't decline! Hehe!" Maple winked at me.

"W-What?!" My face heated up and became completely red. "So y-you'd just go for it?"

"It sounds like it'd be interesting! We're at that age now y'know! We start getting interested in boys and dating and stuff like that! Don't you think about that stuff?"

"N-N-Nooo! That's gross!" I lied. _It's too embarrassing to admit…T-There's no way I'd ever admit that!_ "So you'd date just anyone then?"

"No of course not! I have standards too!"

"S-So what about Tangelo or Masello? W-Would you date them?" I asked hesitantly, a blush still on my face.

Maple seemed to flinch at my question and took a moment to answer my question, making me suspicious that she may actually have a crush on one of them. "Maybe! Tangelo's pretty cute too, and Masello's a funny, caring guy. They're both cute in their own ways. I…I guess I wouldn't be against the idea of dating one of them too." She shrugged with a blush.

"So basically you have a crush on all three of them?" I asked rather bluntly.

"N-No! I-I don't have a crush on any of them…" Maple's face flared up and she looked away. "I feel like our conversation just became completely derailed from what we were originally gonna talk about."

"Heh I guess so…"

"OKAY MAPLE, TIME'S UP! LET'S GO! NOOOOOOW!" Ms. Luna shouted from across the school grounds at the gate.

"Okay I _really_ gotta get going now. We'll see how things go tomorrow with Mint. We probably shouldn't tease her or anything. Bye Aika!" And with that, Maple quickly ran to her sister and left, leaving me all by myself.

…_W-Why did I ask Maple if she had a crush on any of them? And why did I get all defensive…? I-It's not like I have a c-crush on any of them… Do I? Well I definitely don't have a crush on Masello. He's funny, but not my type…I think? Wait I have a type? A-Anyway, Cobalt has always been there for me a-and Tangelo really helped me open up to everyone… W-WHAT AM I THINKING?! N-NO, I DON'T LIKE EITHER OF THEM! A-AND EVEN IF I DID, MINT LIKES COBALT AND NEITHER OF THEM WOULD EVEN BE INTERESTED IN STUPID, UGLY ME! T-There are much more prettier and cuter girls than m-me…_ I furiously shook my head and ran out of the school grounds to head home, my face burning and my heart pounding furiously.

* * *

Mint's POV

I managed to make it home just in time. My parents weren't home yet, so I was home alone. I also noticed that Teleport didn't tire me out or make my head hurt. Usually teleporting long distances or teleporting other Pokémon with me made me exhausted. Perhaps evolving into Kirlia is the cause of this.

I decided to head to my room. I placed my backpack down on my desk and jumped onto my bed. I covered myself under my blankets and let my thoughts run wild.

"…What an exhausting day." I sighed. _I-I can't believe I revealed my biggest secret to Aika and Maple…Oh my gosh…I've always known I had some sort of feelings for Cobalt…b-but…was love really the right choice of words? That's what Cobalt was just about to say to me in my d-d-dream…_ I grabbed one of my pillows and buried my face in it. The thought of Cobalt saying he l-l-l-l-loves me… My face flared up and I felt like I was going to melt.

_There's no way he'd ever say that to me…_ I suddenly felt sad. I felt my face heat up, and tears were beginning to build up in my eyes. _W-Why am I so…sad? D-Do I really…Am I really i-in love with him?_ I shook my head. _N-No, I'm just too into the moment. I know I have a crush on him, I admit it, but there's no way its love. It can't be! I'm only 14! What do I know about love?! …But, what I do know is I care deeply for him…and I wish for his happiness…and I wish I could be part of that h-happiness…O-Oh…b-but…_

_But…_

_There's no way Cobalt has feelings for me. If there was anyone that had the best chance at winning his heart, i-it's…_ Images of a certain Princess began to flood my mind. _Y-Yeah, I'm sure if Cobalt had a crush on anyone, it had to be Auburn. I-I bet Auburn has a crush on him too. I-I-It makes sense. Auburn saved him. And he's given Auburn so much happiness. He's the reason Auburn has so many friends now. And she's the reason he's even still here. They'd make such a cute couple too. T-They're prefect for each other…_

At this moment my eyes became faucets of tears, as the building of the tears began to overflow. I dampened my pillow as I cried and sobbed into it. _W-Why am I crying? I-It's not like they're together or anything. I-I'm just assuming things. Who knows, maybe I'm wrong!_ I lifted my head from my pillowed and wiped my tears. I pulled my blanket out of my face to take a deep breath. _Y-Yeah, I shouldn't make assumptions. I shouldn't just give up like that… But then what do I do? Do I tell him how I feel? What if… what if I creep him out? I-I don't want to creep him out like that. I-I can't risk ruining what we already have…_

"Mint, we're home!" I heard Mother suddenly call from downstairs. Mother and Father use Teleport from the hospital, so they always just suddenly appear home without any warning

I jumped off my bed and fixed my sheets before running downstairs. "Mother, Father, welcome home." I bowed and greeted my parents.

"Oh look at you!" My father, a Gallade named Ray and works as a nurse at Homura Hospital with Mother, walked up to me and kneeled down, "My little girl is growing up! You look great, Mint!"

"T-Thank you, Father." I blushed and smiled.

"Yes, you look fantastic! Ah, children grow up so fast. I'm so proud of you Mint." Mother said happily, though in a calmer tone than Father. Mother was always the more serious out of the two. Perhaps that's why Father is nurse while Mother is a doctor.

"T-Thank you, Mother." I bowed, still blushing from my parents' compliments.

"Yes, yes." Mother nodded. "Now, your father and I will get dinner ready. We can talk more over dinner."

"Yes Mother. I will work on my homework now then while I wait."

"Excellent. I will let you know when dinner is ready." I nodded in response and went back to my room upstairs.

I took a seat at my desk and placed out my notes and textbooks neatly. I opened my math textbook and my notebook to start the homework assignment, turning to the correct page and everything. I stared at problems and tried reading them, and yet I wasn't able to process anything. A certain someone was all I could think of…

_W-Why can't I stop think of Cobalt?! I need to do my homework! L-Let's see…s-solve the function f-for x when Cobalt equals…wait what?!_ "AAAAAHHHH!" I screamed and slammed my head down on my desk.

"W-Why…"

Eventually, Mother called me down for dinner. I sighed and got up from my seat. I took a glace back at my blank homework and slowly headed for the dining room. I washed my hands and took my seat at the table. The three of us gave our thanks and began digging in. I looked down at the plate before me, and while the food looked good, I just didn't have an appetite… Cobalt continued to invade my mind…

"Mint?"

"Mint?"

"Mint."

"_MINT!_"

"AH! Huh?!" I gasped and shot my head up. Mother and Father gave me glances that were a mixture of worry and confusion.

"Are you okay?" Father asked, "Your Mother was calling your name!"

"S-She was?"

"Yes, I was." Mother looked at me, she was obviously irritated. "What are you doing? Why are you just poking your food with your fork? Do not play with your food, Mint."

"I-I…" I looked away with rosy red cheeks. "I guess I'm just not hungry…"

"That certainly will not do! You know how important each and every balanced meal is." Mother scolded.

"I-I know…"

"So dig in! You need to eat so you can continue growing!" Father smiled at me.

"Y-Yes, I'm sorry…" I began eating my food. It was good, but I had to force myself to swallow it down. There was just way too much on my mind for me to have an appetite.

We continued our dinner while I painfully tried to finish my plate. Mother and Father asked me about how the battle went, wanting every single detail. I really did not want to have to relive that painful experience, but they insisted that it was so they could adjust my training so that I wouldn't pass out or hurt myself next time. Father agreed to help me train against physical combat and Mother would help practice focusing. It was true that I probably could've done better if I remained calm and focused…

After dinner and washing the dishes, I returned to my room to finish my homework. I stared at the problems for what felt like hours, my hand frozen in place and my brain feeling as if it shut down. The pure white sheet of paper remained just as it was before I went to dinner: blank.

_Find the area of the circle if…this circle looks funny…it looks just like Cobalt—AAAAHH!_ I slammed my fists on my desk and dropped my head in defeat. _T-This is getting ridiculous! Come on Mint, snap out of it! This isn't even hard! _I took another look at the circle. _…Yup, it still looks like Cobalt. Oh my gosh what am I doing…? I-Is this what l-l-love is like…? M-Maybe I should talk to Mother about this…_

I left my room and stood in front of the door to Mother's study. Just as my hand made contact to the door to knock, it froze in place. _A-Am I really going to do this? What am I e-even going to ask? H-How do I word this properly?! Oh this is so embarrassing; my cheeks are on fire…_ I took a deep breath and shook my head to calm myself down before knocking on the door.

"Come in." I opened the door nervously and slowly. Mother was at her desk, probably working on something important. She turned around and glanced at me. "Ah, Mint. What is it?"

"M-Mother…d-do you have a moment?" I stuttered. My heart was racing and I've never felt so scared to talk to Mother before in my life.

"Yes, of course. Have a seat." She gestured me to sit on the couch in the center. I took a seat with Mother sitting next to me.

"S-S-S-Sooo…u-ummm….y-yeaahhh…"

"What's wrong? You've been acting strange since dinner. Your face is red as well and you're sweating. You're not sick, are you?"

"N-N-No…I-I…"

"Then what's wrong? You can tell your Mother anything."

"Y-Yes, I k-know…b-but that doesn't mean it's s-still not nerve racking…" I sighed. I took another deep breath and decided to just go for it. It was way too late to go back… "M-Mother, how do you know when you're in love?" I muttered quickly and hid my face behind my hands. _Oh my gosh this is too embarrassing I'm going to die!_

"Oh. Oh my." Mother said quietly, placing a hand over her mouth. "I did not expect this. I suppose you are hitting puberty and your emotions are…developing."

"M-Mother!" I cried out of embarrassment.

"Right, right, I'm sorry." She cleared her throat. "Um, well… I'm not exactly an expert on this… Love that is. I am an expert on puberty and how the body—"

"Mother!" I cried out once more. "T-Then how do you feel with Father? H-How did you fall in love with him."

"Oh my goodness, Mint!" Mother blushed rather deeply. "W-Well…I guess you can say your father…he makes me happy. He makes me feel safe. He was there for me. That's why I fell in love with him." Mother then looked away sadly, "H-He comforted me when I needed him the most…" she said almost inaudibly.

"W-What do you mean? D-Did something happen…?" I asked hesitantly.

"…Nothing, never mind. That's a story for a different time. What I'm more interested in is _who_ you think you're in love with!" My face heated up instantly and was covered entirely in red. "So who is it? It's not one your best friends is it?" I remained silent.

"So it is one of them. I just want to make sure of one thing. you do realize none of them are in our Egg Group right? It will be most difficult to breed successfully. While the odds aren't exactly zero, you most likely won't be able to have kids w—"

"MOTHER!" I screamed. Just the thought of having k-k-k-kids w-w-w-w-w-with… _I'm going to die oh my gosh! AAAAHHHH!_

"Heh, I'm sorry Mint." Mother chuckled. "It's okay if you don't give me any grandchildren. Our species is in quite the odd Egg Group so it can be difficult for us t—"

"MOTHER PLEASE!" I begged. If she keeps talking about this while I still have Cobalt on my mind, I'm probably going to faint!

"Alright, alright!" Mother chuckled again. "So it is one of them. Well as long as it's not Cobalt then I don't mind." _Wait, WHAT?!_ I wanted to scream, but I had to remain calm so that Mother doesn't suspect anything.

"W-Why? Do you not like Cobalt?"

"It's not that I dislike him. It's his adoptive mother. _Her._" Mother said, disgusted. I knew it. Mother has this hate for Ms. Cream, but I never asked her about it. It makes her angry but…Cream is such a kind Pokémon! Why would she hate Cream?!

"…Mother, why?"

"Why what?"

"W-Why…" I started crying, "Why do you hate Cream so much? Cream is such a kind Pokémon…and a fantastic mother to Cobalt. E-Everyone loves her…s-so why?"

Mother stared at me emotionless and stood up, turning her back against me. "Mint, please leave. I do not wish to discuss this."

"B-But Mother…!"

"Do _not_ talk back to me! Listen to your mother!" Mother scolded angrily, but I didn't care.

"Mother why?! Cream is not someone you can hate for no reason! I know you two used to be friends! I've seen that picture in Cream's home! The one with you and Cream and that Pignite!"

"W-What?!" Mother gasped. "You've _been_ in her home?! A-And she still has that?!"

"Mother, please! Tell me!" I begged and cried. The tears were now flowing down my cheeks rather furiously as I begged Mother to tell me what happened between her and Cream in the past.

"BECAUSE SHE KILLED HIM!" Mother snapped. She turned around and stared at me desperately. She was crying heavily. I-I've never seen her like this. I was in complete shock and couldn't say a word. _S-She killed someone?!_

"W-What…?"

"SHE KILLED HIM MINT! W-WE COULD'VE SAVED HIM, BUT WE DIDN'T! S-SHE LET HIM DIE! IT WAS ALL HER FAULT! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE HER!" Mother screamed at the top of her lungs, her sobs and hiccups filling the room.

"I-I…" I could not believe what I was hearing. I did not want to believe it. I wanted to walk up to Mother and try to comfort her, but I was stuck. I couldn't move… "M-M-Mother…"

"Mint…p-please…" Mother turned around again, hiding her crying face, "Leave me be…"

"M-Mother…" I wiped my tears and walked towards the exit. I turned around to glace at Mother one last time. She was on the floor and sobbing like crazy… I sobbed before walking out and closing the door.

"…Are you okay?" Father leaned against the wall, next to the door.

"F-Father…" I ran up to him and held him into a tight hug. I buried my face on his chest and cried. "F-Father! W-Why?! Waaah!"

"It's okay Mint, let it out. You didn't know…" Father stroked my head gently, instantly calming me down.

"F-Father… What happened between Mother and Cream…?"

"I…I don't think I have the right to tell you. You need to hear it from your mother… Or from Cream." Father sighed and broke our hug. He then kneeled down so that we were at eye contact. He placed his hands on my shoulders and stared at me with his deep red eyes, the complete opposite mine and Mother's ocean blue eyes. "But if when you do find out... just know that there are two sides to every story."

"H-Huh?" I asked, confused.

Father stood up and placed a hand on my head, petting it softly. "It's getting late. You've had a really long day, I'm sure. Why don't you go get some rest? You definitely deserve it. Don't worry about your Mother. I'll make sure she is okay. She will tell you everything when she thinks the time is right."

"Y-Yes, Father…" I nodded and headed back to my room.

I stared down at my notes and books on my desk and shook my head. _There's no way I can do my homework now. It's a good thing it's not due until the end of the week. I'll have to readjust my schedule later…_ I took Father's advice and decided to go to bed now. I turned off my lights and comfortably snuggled under my blanket, letting my thoughts drift away.

_Mother…and Cream… What happened between you two? Mother won't approve of my feelings for Cobalt unless they were to somehow miraculously make up. J-Just what am I going to do? I-I'm so lost and confused… Mother… Cobalt…_

* * *

**OHMIGGGOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSHHHHH! **(I just realized (and by just realized I mean 3 hours after uploading this lol) that I started the ending AN like this LOL)

**So does anyone even _remember_ the picture Mint was talking about? It appeared aaaaaaaaaaalllllllll the way back in Chapter...6? 7?...Dammit now I need to go check real quick lol  
****...  
I CAN CONFIRM IT'S CHAPTER 6! Wow, that was...holy crap 12 chapters ago! SO NOW YOU KNOW HOW LONG I'VE HAD THIS PLANNED! I'VE BEEN WANTING TO ADDRESS SANA AND CREAM'S PAST FOR SUCH A LONG TIME AND I'M FINALLY TOUCHING ON IT YAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSS!**

**Okay, so the romance is also FINALLY starting now! Mint is discovering herself, and it looks like maybe Maple and Aika are too? Hehehe, this is too much fun! I've been wanting to get into the romance for the longest time! I'm sure you guys have been looking forward to it too ;)**

**Oh and finally, two characters (who both happen to be nurses haha) The school nurse Ms. Lucy and Mint's father Ray! Don't expect Ms. Lucy to show up anymore lol (same with Mr. Mar). Lucy is just a play on Chansey's Japanese name, Lucky lol. I was even thinking of just naming her Lucky xD. Ray is taken from Gallade's Japanese name Erureido. (Rei is pronounced like Ray...yeeeeaaaaahhhhh)**

**Thanks for reading!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello. It's been awhile hasn't it? I apologize for the long delay on this chapter. Even though I've been on summer break for almost a month, this chapter is still incredibly late. I'm sorry. **

**There are a lot of factors as to why this chapter is extremely late. First, I had no idea how to move on this part of the story. It took me forever to decide on something, and this chapter had so many redos and stuff and AHHH WHY WAS THIS SO HARD TO COME UP WITH?! Anyway, I've decided on something now, so there's that. Second, I actually started to loss interest in this. Yup, I feel terrible. I was losing interest in Blazing Courage and writing in general. Why, you ask? Because of a certain movie consuming my life. AND IT'S CALLED ZOOTOPIA. I AM OBSESSED WITH THAT MOVIE, AND I AM COMPLETELY IN LOVE WITH SHIPPING THE MAIN CHARACTERS. As such, I've spent the past 2-3 weeks noureading tons of romance fics on the two lol. NICK X JUDY OTP I SHIP THEM HARDER THAN MY OWN SHIPS IN THIS STORY AND I NEED HELP AAAHHHHHH. Luckily, my obsession is calming down (more like I'm running out of things to read lol) so I was able to finish this chapter.**

**So yeah, once again, I really apologize for the long delay. I'm gonna try to keep it a minimum of one update a month, ideally two updates. We'll see how that goes :/**

* * *

Mint's POV

"Good morning..." I yawned and greeted my parents. I rubbed my eyes and took my seat at the dining table to eat breakfast.

"Good morning, Mint." Father looked away from the newspaper he was reading and frowned. "Still tired? Didn't you go to bed early?"

I yawned again. "Yes, but I had trouble falling asleep... I had too much on my mind."

"I suppose you can blame me for that." Mother came from the kitchen with a cup of coffee in hand. "Good morning, Mint." Mother said calmly as she took a seat.

"M-Mother..." I avoided eye contact with her. "I'm sorry about last night. I should not have pestered you like that."

"No, don't apologize. I don't blame you for talking back like that. You've always been a curious child after all." I couldn't tell if that was a compliment or not, but it sounds like Mother is not mad at me. I turned back to Mother and she tried to smile. "I will tell you about it later tonight. But for now, I'll give you a quick summary."

"O-Okay." I answered back nervously.

"Basically, Cream and I used to work together at her hospital." I gasped. I knew Mother and Cream had some sort of history together, but... they used to be partners? At Cream's hospital?

"Our first patient, the Pignite, was a very dear childhood friend of ours. He was always sick as a child back. I remember he used to miss school a lot." Mother shut her eyes and paused, lowering her head. "His condition was getting worse. We... could've have saved him, I truly believe that. But... Cream thought it was too risky. In the end, he passed away. And it was all her fault." Mother looked down sadly and sighed. She looked like she was about to cry. Father had a similar painful expression stuck on his face.

"M-Mother...that's..." I cringed. The thought of losing any one of my friends...I couldn't take it...

"A-Anyway," Mother cleared her throat, "Now you know why I do not want you associating with that Audino. Please refrain from talking to her, let alone being anywhere near her."

I lowered my head and frowned. "Y-Yes, Mother..."

After breakfast, I left home and made my way to the castle. I wanted to walk with Auburn today (which I try to do every once in a while) especially since she probably doesn't know I'm okay. Auburn always leaves for school at the exact same time. She even waits a minute in front of the castle gates, so I can leave home accordingly whenever I wanted to walk with her to school.

The entire trip to the castle my mind was filled with what Mother told me. _So that photo... It must be from when Cream first opened up her hospital. To think she and Mother once worked together... And that Pignite... He must've been very close to Mother to make her cry like she did last night. I wonder what the details are. Mother told me she would tell the whole story tonight. I'm curious, and yet I'm also very scared. What if this change's my opinion on Cream forever? What if Mother starts to try even hard on preventing me from seeing Cream? I like Cream. She's so kind to everyone. B-But...Mother hates her. She thinks it's Cream's fault the Pignite died. Is that really the case? Oh it's no use to think about this, I should just wa—_

"Oh, Mint!"

"H-Huh?" I snapped back to reality and saw Auburn running up to me. _I-I'm already at the castle?! When did I get here?!_

Auburn lunged at me and forced me into one of her tight hugs. "Mint you're okay! I wasn't sure if you were going to show up today! I was so worried about you yesterday!"

"A-Auburn..." _Oh yeah, the only ones that know I woke up yesterday are Aika and Maple._ "Sorry, I should've let you know I was okay."

"Don't worry about that!" Auburn let go of her hug, "I'm just glad you're okay!"

"O-Okay..."

"Hmm?" Auburn looked at me intently, "Are you okay? You seem kinda down."

"D-Do I?" I stuttered, "I just have a lot on my mind I guess."

"Really?" She frowned. "If you say so." Auburn shrugged. "Let's get going to school. We need to let everyone else know you're okay!"

"Right..." I blushed, walking slowly behind my best friend.

"So!" Auburn said as we walked down the road, "You've been the talk of the class y'know!"

"W-What?!" I gasped.

"Oh, it's not anything bad! Everyone kept talking about how you evolved and beat up Garnet! You've gained some popularity! I even overheard some of the boys say how much cuter you've become!" Auburn giggled and poked me. "You really do so much different! You're so much taller and I can actually see your eyes! And your hairstyle is just way too cute!"

"W-What?! N-No way!" I gasped, blushing from Auburn's sudden compliments. "Boys never talk about me. I'm just some nerdy girl to them." I sighed.

"A nerdy, powerful girl who's super cute now!" Auburn turned around to face me. "I bet all the boys are gonna start asking you out!"

"N-N-No way!" I stuttered and blushed. "I-I-I'm not even interested in t-things like that..." I lied. "You're way more popular than me anyway. Aren't boys always trying to ask you out?"

"Me? Sometimes I guess. But I always turn them down." She shrugged.

"I know. I've always wonder though, why is that?" Auburn has always been really popular since we entered middle school and everyone started getting interested in dating. Boys would always try to get to Auburn, but she'd always turn them down without a second thought.

"Because I'm not interested in dating. Romance and dating sounds fun and all I guess, but it's not for me."

"Really? You think?" I looked at her intently. _Is this how she really feels? D-Do I ask her if she's just not interested in a-a-anyone?_

"Yup! I'd rather set up my friends than set myself up! Hehe!" Auburn smiled and laughed, though it sounded a bit forced, or my imagination is playing games on me.

"Really? So you're not interested in romance or dating anyone?" I asked nervously. I took a big gulp before I proceed with my next question. "Y-You don't have feelings for anyone...?"

Auburn paused for a split second before answering. "Nope! None whatsoever!" Auburn then looked away and whispered something at an almost inaudible voice, "Besides, I'm not even allowed to d-date, so it doesn't matter if I did like anyone..."

"W-What?" I gasped. I wasn't sure if I completely caught what she said.

"H-Huh?!" Auburn gasped. Her face was covered in a bright red blush. "N-Nothing! I didn't say anything at all!"

I stared at Auburn, who was obviously hiding something from me. Sweat began falling down her head as she tried to convince me that she didn't say anything.

"E-Enough about me! What about you?!" Auburn said rather defensively, "Do you have feelings for anyone?" She looked at me mischievously.

"M-ME?!" I practically scream with a flushed face, "N-N-No!"

"Oh come on Mint, that reaction practically says that you do! Maybe it's on a certain someone we all know?" She giggled, as if she knew about a certain secret.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Haha, fine. I won't bug you about it." Auburn laughed, "I'm sure you'll tell me one day. I'll just have to wait until then." She winked at me. _...Even Auburn knows I like Cobalt. Oh my gosh does the entire school know?!_

"W-What is that supposed to mean?!" I retorted. I was beginning to sweat nervously, and I could tell I was losing my usually calm nature.

"It means exactly what I said. I'll wait for you to tell me." Auburn looked at me like I was dumb.

I stopped in my tracks. "B-But I-I... I d-don't..." I looked down, my blue eyes staring at the paved pathway. I felt my eyes beginning to water, but I tried my best to fight against them. "I d-don't..."

"Mint?"

"I-It's not like h-he would e-even r-return my feelings..." I began tearing up.

"H-Huh? Return your feelings?" Auburn gasped. "S-So you do like someone?! I was just messing with you! Ohmigosh Miiiiiiiinnnnntttt!" Auburn ran up to me and hugged me. "Mint, why are you giving up already? You haven't even told him yet, so stop crying! Have some confidence!"

"B-But..." I sniffled.

"No buts!" Auburn broke her hug and looked at me straight in the eye, two paws on my shoulders. "Come on, I'll even help you confess! No one can resist your newly evolved charms! Now who's the lucky guy?"

I froze. Auburn is offering to help me? What if I tell her who it is? Will she still help me then...? I stood there in silence as Auburn's patience slowly began to fade. My face was burning like crazy as bullets of sweat raced down my face.

"Well? Come on, Mint! I can't help you if you don't tell me who it is!"

"I..." My body began trembling like crazy. My heart was racing and I've never been so nervous to tell Auburn something. "I-I..." I closed my eyes tightly and broke down.

"I-I CAN'T!" I screamed at the top of my lungs and suddenly teleported, Auburn's confused shouts barely reaching me.

I opened my eyes and saw that I was standing right in front of my locker. I turned my head sharply to the left, then to the right. The halls were mostly empty, a few students here and there. I sighed and fell forward, my head banging on my locker and making a loud _THUD._

_I'm such an idiot._

* * *

Auburn's POV

"Mint?" I panicked. I frantically looked around. No sign of the Kirlia.

"Ugh, did she really just ditch me like that?!" I stomped my legs angrily.

After releasing some of my frustration on the ground, I sighed and looked down, paw prints were left behind, scattered in the dust on the pavement. _Did I push her too much? Ugh why am I always like this?_

I shook my head and ran ahead alone, trying to get to school so I could apologize to my best friend. I ran as fast as I could, ignoring the greetings from both my fellow classmates and the citizens of Homura City. It's even possible I may have ran past some of my friends, but I didn't care. I needed to find Mint.

"Hey, Auburn!" Someone called out as I ran past them, but I ignored it, the source of the one that called out to me making an annoying grunting sound in the process. I continued to run, but something black suddenly ran past me and stopped in front of me, causing me to frantically attempt to stop.

"W-Whoa, get out of the waaaaay!" I shouted as I crashed into the small, black figure. Our bodies collided and we both fell onto the ground, rolling forward in pain.

"Ahh, that hurt! What the heck?!" I rubbed my head and saw that the one that so rudely stopped me was Aika. "Aika?!"

"Ugh Auburn you're so dumb!" Aika got up and wiped off the dust on her fur.

"I'm dumb?! You're the one that got in my way! Why'd you do that?!" I argued back angrily.

"Because you ignored us!" A different voiced shouted from behind me. It was Maple.

"Maple's with you? Do you guys always walk together...?"

"Er, no, but..." Maple glanced away suspiciously. "A-Anyway that's not important! What are you doing rushing ahead like that?"

"I need to find Mint!" I shouted. Aika and Maple gasped, their ears twitching and they shared glances at each other in silence.

"Why?" Maple finally spoke up.

"I pushed her too hard." I looked down sadly. The two stared each other again.

"What do you mean?"

"We... We were talking about dating. And I found out she likes someone. I pushed her too hard on telling me who it was and she got all embarrassed and teleported away." I continued to stare at the ground, waiting for them to respond. After a few moments of silence, I looked up and saw them staring at me with widen eyes and beads of sweat pouring down their faces.

"Um, guys?"

"A-Ah!" Aika yelped. She grabbed Maple and the two of them turned their backs against me.

"W-What are you guys whispering about!? Y-You guys know something don't you!"

Maple lifted her head, "I-I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Really Maple?!" Aika grunted, frustrated that Maple blew their cover.

"W-What?" She looked at Aika confused.

"You guys know who it is, don't you?!" I took a step forward. I was gonna get them to spill if it was the last thing I do!

"N-No! R-R-Really!" Maple panicked.

"Maple can you sound any less convincing?!" Aika shook her head and sighed.

"Alright guys, start talking! Who is it?"

"W-We can't! We promised we wouldn't tell!" Maple shut her eyes tight and hid under her paws.

"Come on, I'm begging you, tell me! I want to—no I _need_ to help out Mint on this! The poor girl is too shy for her own good to make her own move! Mint's always been there to help me; I want to help her out for once!" I dropped down and lowered my head. "Please..."

"Auburn..." Maple said quietly. She turned to Aika and the two began whispering again. What only took a few seconds felt like an eternity to me as I waited for them to make their decision.

"Look, Auburn, I know how you feel," Aika smiled at me and sighed, "But... we can't tell you. Mint is our friend too, and she trusted us to keep her secret safe."

I frowned and lowered my ears. "I-I-I see..." I got up and faced my back towards them. "Y-Yeah, it's better that Mint tells me. It'd be best to hear it from her instead." I took a few steps forward and stopped. "Y'know, I t-thought I was Mint's best friend. Why is it that you two know about her crush before I d-do?" I began to tremble. "I-I guess it only makes sense. Aika you're practically with her all the time. You two are even in the same club... I don't even have any classes with her except for gym class." I felt my eyes become glossy as the trembling grew.

"A-Auburn..."

"I should get going now. D-Don't wanna be late for my dumb classes. Have f-fun in your Honors classes. I-I'll see you at l-lunch or something..." I slowly began to walk away, trying my best to fight against these stupid tears.

"Auburn!" I looked up. Aika and Maple stood in front of me.

"...What?"

"Do you realize how ridiculously you're being right now?" Aika glared at me.

"W-What?"

"Look, Mint's my friend too. And yeah, I do see her a lot since we have the same interests, but that doesn't mean we are best best friends! I mean, we're all best friends aren't we? But you and Mint have always been childhood best best friends! She's always talking about you!"

I blinked. "S-She is?"

"Yeah, she's always like 'Auburn this' and 'Auburn that' and stuff like that. She's even painted you before! She hasn't painted me or anyone of us before!" I thought back to that time Mint made a painting of me for my birthday. I still have it hanging in my room...

"Just yesterday she said she wished she was dumber so she could have more classes with you!" Maple added and giggled.

"O-Oh..." I looked away out of embarrassment. Honestly I don't know if I should be happy or insulted, but I'm gonna go with the former. "P-Perhaps I may have overreacted a bit..."

"Yeah you did!" Aika grunted.

"Aw, that just means you really care for her then!" Maple walked up and gave me a playful nudge. "It shows you're a really good friend."

"Eheh, I guess..." I smiled. "Thanks guys." I suddenly pulled them into a tight hug. "I'm so glad to have such great friends!"

"A-A-Auburn!" Aika blushed brightly like how she always does.

"Y-Yeah, yeah, I'm glad too, but could you maybe loosen the hug a notch?"

"Oops, sorry!" I laughed. I let go of my friends and took a few steps forward. "Come on, you guys gotta help me find Mint so I can apologize! I'll wait until first period and catch her there if I have to!"

And that's exactly what I had to do. The final warning bell rang and classes were about to begin in less than five minutes, but I didn't care. Even with Maple and Aika's help, we weren't able to track down Mint on time, I was forced to join them to their first period class and confront Mint there.

"MINT!" I shouted into the classroom. The Kirlia that was sitting in the front row jumped out of her seat.

"A-AH!" Mint's face turned red and she hid herself behind her textbook.

"Auburn...?" I saw Cobalt sitting behind Mint, giving me confused looks. I glanced at him and just nodded, acknowledging him.

"Auburn, what are you doing?! Class is about to begin, run along to your class!" Ms. Luna glared daggers at me, but I didn't care. I ignored the history teach and stepped in the classroom.

"Mint!" I ran up to her and pulled away her book. She gasped and looked away, avoiding my eyes, so I grabbed her cheeks and turned her face and stared at her straight in the eyes.

"W-W-W-W-What?!" Mint looked like she was about to cry.

I stared at her for a brief moment and frowned. I let go of her and bowed down.

"I-I'm sorry!"

"H-Huh?"

"I-I'm sorry! I'm really really really really REALLY sorry! I shouldn't have pushed you like that! I won't ever do it again! I promise! I'll wait for you to tell me! So please! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! Please don't hate me, Mint!" I was on the verge of tears. _Was I really about to break down in front of the entire class?_

"A-Auburn..." I suddenly felt a hand on my head. I looked up. It was Mint, smiling at me. "Auburn, you have nothing to apologize for."

"I-I don't?" I tilted my head.

"Of course not. If anything, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I didn't mean to do that. I was just nervous. I'm not used to talking about things like that, so I just...freaked out. Please forgive me? I didn't mean to worry you like that..."

I looked up at her with teary eyes. "Oh Mint!" I jumped up and grabbed her into a hug. "You don't have to apologize either! Oh I'm so happy that you aren't mad at me! Thanks Mint!"

Mint widened her eyes and blinked, a faint smile on her face. "Y-You're welcome, but Auburn?"

"Yeah?"

"The final bell already rang. You're late for class."

"I don't care."

"I do!" A different voice said. A very...menacing voice. I felt my chest tighten in fear as I slowly got up and turned around to see Ms. Luna fuming.

"Ahem," She cleared her throat and smiled. That infamous death smile... "I'm happy to see you cleared things up with your friend, Your Highness, but I must regretfully ask you to leave now, as you are disrupting my class."

That smile. That smile could kill someone. I quietly stood up and headed for the door. "I'm sorry," I bowed and turned around, "...And I'll see you in detention after school...again..."

"Yes you will. Here's your detention slip." She shoved a note into my backpack and gave me a little nudge. "Now hurry along to your class. And please, next time at least wait until lunch time to talk to your friends, okay?"

"Y-Yes ma'am..." I headed out, the kids in her class whispering and giggling at me. I didn't care though, because I did what I wanted to do. Sure detention sucks and my Mom will probably yell at me, but if I explain to her what happened I'm sure she'll understand!

...Probably.

* * *

"Hmm, she's not here today." I stepped outside the castle gardens and quickly looked to my left and right. "Oh well. I'll see her at lunch I guess." I shrugged and walked to school alone.

The walk to school was boring. It almost always is. Just the typical 'Good morning, Your Highness!' greetings I've grown accustomed to. I always smiled and greeted back though, unlike my childhood days when I used to be annoyed out of my mind from it all. I suppose I am starting to get what Mom said to me back then. A happy kingdom makes a happy ruler, or something like that.

I noticed other students walking to school. Many of them were in groups of two or more. I couldn't help but sigh. I miss walking to school with my friends, but middle school starts earlier and every minute of sleep is precious. It also doesn't help that the school is closer to the castle than any of my friends' house.

"It's only gonna get worst next year..." I sighed. It's a little tough to believe that we'll be high school in less than a year. "Before you know it, we'll be graduating high school, I'll be turning 18, and then I'll be..." I paused and looked up at the sky. It was a clear, blue sky. Spring really is just around the corner.

"You'll be what?" I jumped. I turned around and was greeted by a toothy grin from my oh so lovable cousin.

"Tangelo!"

"Man, I must be really late if I'm running into you on my way to school!"

"Good morning to you too!" I scoffed.

"Aw, come on don't be like that!" He nudged me playfully. I groaned and rolled my eyes, but gave him a faint smile.

Tangelo frowned. "You were thinking about that again, weren't you?"

"Huh?" I tilted my head.

"What you were saying. 'I'll be turning 18, and then I'll be...'" He attempted to mimic me by speaking in a squeaky, high pitched voice.

"Your impersonation of me is terrible." I laughed, but that quickly faded into a frown. "But yeah, I was..."

"It really bothers you huh?"

"N-No! I don't care about things like that anyway." I tried my best to sound convincing. "At least not right now..."

"Oh, really now?" Tangelo narrowed his eyes at me and not falling for it one bit.

"Y-Yeah really! And I'd rather keep it that way." I closed my eyes and raised my snout haughtily. I sighed and looked away. "It'll make things a lot easier..."

Tangelo shrugged and shook his head, as if he didn't believe one word I said. "Whatever you say, Your Highness."

I stood there silently and stared at the ground. _I don't care about things like that. I don't care about things like that. _I repeated in my mind over and over, attempting to reassure myself.

I suddenly felt a paw on my shoulder. I looked up and Tangelo stared at me with concerned eyes. "There's really nothing you can do about it?"

I shook my head.

"Uncle Cain and Aunt Arylide too?" I shook my head again, causing Tangelo to sigh. "Rules are rules I guess. Stupid traditions." I nodded, agreeing with Tangelo completely. "Well I guess Aunt Arylide had to go through with it too. She sure was lucky in the end though, huh?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"Who knows? Maybe you'll get lucky too?" He winked at me.

A tight sensation built up in my chest as I suddenly felt my face grow hot. "W-What is that supposed to mean?!"

"Ahahaha, I think you know!" He winked at me again and stepped forward. "I gotta go and find Masello and beg him to let me copy his homework, so I'll see you in class!" Tangelo waved at me and dashed ahead, leaving me silent and dumbfounded.

"Ugh stupid Tangelo, he can be such a jerk!" I grunted. _First of all, he could've copied mine! My answers are right! ...Maybe. And then he goes and teases me about this!_ I argued in my head this time. _I really need to stop thinking out loud..._

* * *

Soon it was lunch time, and the eight of us sat together like we always did. We ate, talked, laughed and all the fun stuff that I love. Lunch time is always my favorite time of the day. I love hanging out with my friends, but we definitely don't do it enough nowadays outside of school.

"And then my mom was like.—"

"Dude, seriously?!"

"...But that doesn't even—"

"Pfft, you're so dumb!"

"Ahahahaha!"

The table was filled with chatter and laughter...well almost filled. I couldn't help but notice Mint wasn't really paying much attention to the conversations, or even eating her food. She was just...sitting there, a frown stuck on her face as she stared blankly at her untouched food.

"Mint, are you okay?" I voiced out my concerns. No response.

"Miiint? Helloooo?" Still no response. At this point all of us were quiet and staring at her. Cobalt and Aika looked particularly worried.

"MINT!" Aika shouted, causing the Kirlia to jump and fall off her seat.

"W-W-What is it?!" She panicked and struggled to get off the ground and back on her seat.

"Mint, seriously, are you okay?" Cobalt asked with concern. It sounds like this wasn't the first time Cobalt asked her this today. Mint frowned and looked away, her face slightly pink.

"...I'm fine." Mint whispered monotonously.

"You've been acting weird all day, you are not fine." Aika stated bluntly.

"All day?" I asked.

Aika nodded. "She's been really quiet and blanking out."

"Sis even asked her a question in class and Mint said she wasn't paying attention and didn't know!" Maple added.

"WHAT?!" Masello, Tangelo, Tea, and I said in unison.

"M-M-M-Mint? W-What's wrong?" Tea placed a hand on the Kirlia's arm. Tea and I have known Mint the longest, and we both know something is wrong if Mint isn't paying attention in class.

"I-It's nothing! Really! I'm f-fine, okay?!" Mint said defensively.

"Mint, you know you can trust us." Cobalt looked at her straight in the eyes. Mint gasped and flinch, quickly turning away to avoid his gaze, remaining speechless.

This is extremely bad. Something must've happened. I want to push Mint into telling us, but yesterday's scenes replayed in my mind. I can't push Mint into telling me things that she doesn't want to. In the end, it's probably none of my business, but I can't help but be worried about my best friend!

I was just about to get up from my seat and give Mint a hug before two Pokémon approached our table, standing right beside me.

"Hey, sup guys?" It was Garnet.

"Hello." And Jon was with him.

"Garnet, and Jon. Hey." I greeted them back. Everyone else looked at them and acknowledged and greeted the pair. All except Mint, of course. Jon seemed to notice Mint looking down. He would know since he's in their class too. Garnet however didn't seem to notice or care, instead stepping closer to me and looking down at me.

"C-Can I help you?" I asked nervously as the Combusken's red eyes stared back into mine.

"Yes you can, actually." Garnet grinned, "Y'know, Valentine's Day is quickly approaching..."

"Yeah, and?" I answered back sassily. I do not like where this is going. Every time a boy mentions Valentine's Day to me, I don't like where it goes. Especially if that guy is Garnet.

"And I was thinking maybe we—"

"No." I cut him off bluntly.

"Y-You didn't even let me finish!"

"I don't need you to. The answer is no."

"B-But..." The Combusken looked more frustrated than sad at my refusal. "Come on Auburn, why do you reject everyone?! And how could you reject me?! I'm like, the strongest guy at this school! I was the first one to evolve! How could you refuse that?!"

"I don't care Garnet. Now, if that's all you wanted, I would appreciate it if you would leave." I turned around to avoid his gaze.

"Dude, I told you she would turn you down! Let's go before sh—" I heard Jon trying to get Garnet to give up, but Garnet has always been the most stubborn Pokémon I know.

"H-How could you not care?! Don't you realize who you're talking to?! I'm like the most popular guy in our grade! Girls are always trying to get with me!"

"Maybe you can go with one of those girls then." I lifted my snout haughtily, while inside my head I'm celebrating because ohmigosh that sounded so cool and sassy.

"Y-You..." Garnet said under his breath. He was started to get really angry, and I actually started to feel scared for a brief second.

"You heard her Garnet." Cobalt suddenly said. He stood up from his seat and stood between me and Garnet. "She said no, so go away."

"Who do you think you are Cobalt? The Princess' knight in shining armor?!" Garnet raised his voice. He was getting more and more irritated, almost to the point where it'd look like a fight would brew right here and now.

"She. Said. No!" Cobalt slowly raised his voice, moving an arm behind me, as if he was protecting me from a threat. They were starting to cause a scene. I could feel the other tables in the cafeteria staring at us.

"Garnet, come on! Calm down! Let's go before you get too angry and start a fight! Everyone's staring at you, man!" Jon was panicking, desperately trying to calm his best friend.

"Ugh, fine. I'll get you later in P.E. Cobalt!" He glared at Cobalt and pointed a talon at him before stomping away.

"Whew..." Jon sighed. "I'm so sorry Auburn. I tried to tell him it was pointless, but you know how stubborn Garnet is."

"Yeah, I know." I shrugged. "It's a good thing he has someone like you though. Just imagine how many times Garnet would get into trouble if you weren't around!"

"Heh, thanks. I have, and it would not be a pretty sight." Jon laughed. "Someone needs to watch his back. I'll see you guys in gym class." Jon bowed and went to catch up to his easily irritated friend.

"Cobalt, thanks. I really appreciate it!" I smiled happily.

"No problem. I've got your back!" He smiled back with his eyes closed. "If you ever need anything like that, I'll always be there for you." Cobalt opened his eyes, the kindness radiating from his shining orange eyes.

"C-Cobalt..." I was slightly taken back, and when I looked into eyes, I felt a slight blush starting to build up. I tightly closed my eyes and shook my head. "Thanks!" I giggled, trying to play it off.

"Aww, you two can be so cute!" Masello commented in that foreign accent of his. In the corner of my eye I could've sworn I saw Mint flinch. Aika and Maple also looked slightly panicked.

"Cute?" Cobalt tiled his head rather cutely.

"Yes, like a couple!" Masello explained. My ears perked and I felt the blood rushing to my head. "You really did look like the Princess' knight in shining armor there!"

"O-Oh! I know right? It looked so romantic..." Tea unsurprisingly spoke up. I know how much she loves romance, and I also secretly know that the majority of her poems are love poems. She'd die if she knew that I knew that. "C-Can you imagine them being together? T-The heroic Princess and forever grateful k-knight. A-Ahh...how cute..."

"A couple? R-Romantic? And w-when did I become a knight?!" Cobalt stuttered. He turned to look at me, his eyes wide and a blush on his face.

I stared back and blinked. I felt a strange tightness build in my chest for a brief moment before looking away. "N-No! No way! I'm not interested in things like that! Cobalt and I are just friends! No way we'd be a couple! Just best friends!"

"Y-Yeah." Cobalt nodded.

"Hmmmm?" Maple looked at us suspiciously.

"Really now?" Tangelo looked at me and winked. That same look he had earlier today.

"Y-Yes really!" Cobalt and I said simultaneously. Everyone shared glances with each other and began laughing. All of them except, of course, Mint.

"Mint...?" I said quietly. Mint looked at me with glossy eyes and her face completely red.

"I-I-I-I... I j-just remembered I-I need to g-g-go...t-to the library... P-Please excuse me..." Mint stood up and pushed her chair in, turning around so she wasn't facing us. She said one last thing before teleporting away from us. "Masello, you can have my lunch."

"Jackpot!" The Numel shouted happily and reached across the table and grabbed Mint's tray.

"...Masello you're so dumb." Maple groaned.

"W-What? She hasn't touched it all this time and I've been eyeing it, desperately wondering if she was going to finish it or not!" Masello whined before digging in.

"W-What was that all about?" Cobalt asked worriedly.

"I don't know..." I answered back and sighed. I glanced at Maple and Aika, who seemed to know what was up. They were whispering to each other, and it pained me knowing they knew something about Mint that I didn't.

_Mint...what's wrong? Please...tell me...I wanna help you..._

* * *

**And there you have it. The end of chapter 19. I was gonna write more, but god this chapter is already extremely late, and I think this is an okay spot to end it. I know some people were expecting more stuff on Sana and Cream, but it's too early for that :P  
It'll happen really soon though! Probably the next chapter...**

**So! I feel like Auburn hasn't had much screen time, despite her being the other main character of the story. We learned some new things about her and her worries. WHAT DO THEY MEAN?!**

**Also I really wanted more Cobalt x Auburn BECAUSE THEY ARE ADORABLE AND MY OTHER OTP BESIDES NICK X JUDY SHIPSHIPSHIPSHIPSHIP**

**Anyway, thanks for reading! I promise the next chapter will not take 2 and a half months again lol**


	20. Chapter 20

**Oh hey another chapter that's out much later than I wanted it to. What a surprise. Anyway, I got it done before the month ended and that's always a win for me lol.**

* * *

Mint's POV

This has been the worst week of my life. After that incident with everyone saying that Auburn and Cobalt would be such a cute couple, I couldn't even speak to either of them without wanting to cry. It didn't help that Auburn took every possible opportunity she had to try to talk to me. I'd just tell her that I was fine, even though I obviously wasn't, hoping to Arceus that she would just take the hint and leave me alone. She wasn't the only one though. Every single one of my friends was worried sick, but I just couldn't tell them.

The day after that incident was an Art Day club. I sat on my stool and stared at my canvas. That beautiful beach was still there, along with the blue outline of Cobalt. I sighed and began to paint Cream next to Cobalt. Aika asked earlier what I was going to do about my painting and I told her I'd just pull it off as "adoptive family love" or something like that. Mother definitely wouldn't approve of it, but Mother rarely looks at my paintings anyway. There's no way I'd keep Cobalt there in a love theme painting...

_Cobalt..._

Every first period Cobalt would try to ask me what's wrong, but he's the last Pokémon I could confide to. Not since Mother told me everything... Mother knows that it's Cobalt that I have feelings for, and she forbade me from having any sort of romantic feelings for him. Since I can't disobey Mother, I would just have to ignore his pleas to help me and hope my heart would listen to my brain and get rid of these stupid feelings.

* * *

"Whew..." I sighed and closed my notebook. It was finally Saturday. I just spent all morning and afternoon doing homework since this week has been so stressful. Luckily I was able to somehow focus and finish it everything on time, along with some extra studying.

I leaned back on my chair and stretched my arms up. I took a quick glance at my clock. _Almost 4? I've been doing work for that long? I could've sworn lunch was just half an hour ago. Time flies when you're busy I guess._ I stood up and went to my window, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. It was another beautiful day. Even though it's technically still winter the skies were mostly clear and the grass and trees were beginning to turn green again.

"Maybe I'll go into town. I finished all my work, it's a nice day, and there's still some time until dinner." I turned around and looked at my messy desk. "I need to buy more paper and lead anyway."

I made my decision and headed downstairs, not before cleaning up desk and organizing all my completed work. Mother and Father were sitting on the couch in the living room watching the afternoon news.

"Mother, Father, I finished all my homework. I'm going to make a little trip into downtown. Is that okay?"

"Well, if you're all caught up, that's okay with me. Have fun!" Father said without turning around, instead lazily waving his hand.

"That's fine with me too. Oh, but while you're there can you do some grocery shopping?" Mother stood up and went to the table to write a little shopping list. "It isn't much, but do you need any extra money?" She handed me the note.

I read down the short list and shook my head. "That won't be necessary."

"Alright then, make sure to be back by dinner." Mother nodded and headed back to her seat.

"I will. Bye!" I waved at my parents, which they waved back, and went out the door.

I stepped out the door and took another deep breath. The fresh, cool air felt very refreshing after being locked up in my room for the majority of the day. I looked up at the sky and smiled.

I decided to go to Flaymart. The department store has grown over the years. It was already a store that had groceries, furniture, toys, and almost anything you needed, and it even had its own small food court. It's more like a shopping mall rather than a department store. The food court has expanded, there's an arcade and ice rink, and even a movie theater! The place has become an extremely popular hangout spot, and I've spent a few weekends here with my friends.

I quickly went through the grocery section and picked up the few items on Mother's list: food, batteries, paper towels, and other miscellaneous household items. I then headed to the office and school supplies section and grabbed what I needed. After a quick and easy experience at the checkout, I decided to make a stop at the food court.

The food court was packed, which made sense since it was the weekend. The place was decorated with red, pink, and white streamers and heart balloons, for Valentine's Day. I looked at them with sad eyes, but quickly shook my head. _I came out to relax, not mope around!_ I told myself over and over.

I was just about to head over to my favorite place in the food court for a delicious smoothie that I felt like I deserved after having a miserable week before hearing the last thing I wanted to hear right now come from behind me.

"Oh, Mint!"

_...ARCEUS WHY?!_ I cursed mentally. I winced at the voice's owner calling my name and took a deep breath. _Keep calm, keep calm, keep calm, keep calm...!_

"C-Cobalt...!" I turned around and greeted him with the most forced smile I've ever made in my life. "W-What a surprise..." _KEEP CALM, KEEP CALM, KEEP CALM...!_

"Hey! Nice seeing you here!" He smiled with his radiant, orange, shining eyes. I tensed up and my face boiled up the instant my boring blue eyes made contact with his. "What are you doing here by yourself?"

_...I CAN'T KEEP CALM! I need to get out of here! If Mother finds out about this, she'll kill me!_

"N-N-N-Nothing! I-I-I-I was actually just leaving now. Good-b—"

"Oh no you don't!" Cobalt grabbed my arm just as I was about to walk past him. A tingling sensation ran down my entire body at him making physical contact with me. I looked back at him with widen eyes to see him with a frown plastered on his face.

"C-Cobalt...?"

"And you better not teleport on me too!" Cobalt exclaimed and loosened his grip on my arm. "Something is wrong. You haven't been acting like yourself lately. You're obviously upset about something." Cobalt paused and there was a painful silence between us. He was waiting for a response from me, but when I frowned and looked away, he took the hint and continued.

"Did something happen? Are you okay? You can tell me, or any of us, anything!"

"I... I'm fine. Really."

Cobalt groaned and was obviously not taking any of this. "...Fine. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. But still, something is bothering you, and you're obviously sad and upset about it, so I'm going to do something about it!"

I looked up at him and saw him with that brilliant smile that could melt anyone's heart. "W-What do you mean...?" I blushed.

"You're spending the day with me, and we're going to go have some fun! C'mon! I have time to kill while Mom goes shopping! The arcade, ice rink, maybe even a movie! Anything! Let's do it all of it! My treat!" Cobalt suddenly grabbed my arm again and started dragging me away.

"W-W-Wait a second! H-H-Hey!" I tried resisting, failing to break from the Cobalt's tight grip.

"Nope! I'm not taking no for an answer!" Cobalt looked back at me and winked. My heart wanted to burst and if I could, I would've melted into a puddle right then and there.

The first place Cobalt took me to was the arcade. The arcade was filled with children, and it was bright and loud with the sound of games resonating the area and bright lights flashing in every direction.

"Hey, you two!" The arcade worker, a Charmeleon, called out to us.

"Us?" Cobalt answered.

"Yeah, you guys a couple?" The Charmeleon grinned.

"W-W-W-WHAT?!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

"W-Whoa Mint, n-not so loud..." Cobalt flinched.

"S-Sorry..." I said quietly, my face covered in red.

"Whoa, your girlfriend's a loud one!" The worker laughed.

"G-Girlfriend?" Cobalt answered calmly. I, on the other hand, was panicking like crazy...on the inside. I tried my best to keep calm on the outside.

"Yeah! Anyway, the entire mall is doing a special Valentine's event starting this weekend! Couples get an extra 50% discount on all tokens!"

"F-F-Fifty percent!?" Cobalt exclaimed.

"Yeah, crazy huh? And that's just for the arcade. The ice rink is doing a 'couples get in free' thing, and they're even selling special meals and desserts for couples down at the food court! Ah, love is in the air!"

Cobalt blinked and stood there in disbelief.

"C-Cobalt? Y-You're not thinking what I think you are... a-a-are you?" I cried. He's about to suggest the one thing I want in the world. And the one thing that I am forbidden from doing...

"I-I'm considering it...! Even though I'm not a fan of lying..." Cobalt whispered back. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Ah, whatever! It's just for one day. Come on Mint! Let's be a couple! Just for today!"

_"Let's be a couple!"_

_"LET'S BE A COUPLE!"_

* * *

"...ey! A...ou...ay? M...nt!"

"Mint!"

"H-Huh?! W-Wha?!" My eyes popped open. I sprang up and looked around. I was on a bench, in front of the entrance of the arcade. "W-What...?"

"Oh thank goodness you're okay!"

"Cobalt...? What happened?"

"You fainted in the arcade all of the sudden! Everyone was so worried! I lifted you and lied you on this bench. I was just about to call for Mom, but thankfully you woke up. Geeze, you nearly gave me a heart attack..." Cobalt sighed in relief.

"Oh...Ooooh...!" I suddenly remembered what happened and my face flared up.

"Hey, are you okay? Your face is burning up! Actually your face has been red this entire time... Do you need a drink?"

"W-Wha...? O-Oh! U-Um..." I quickly turned away and avoided Cobalt's worried expression. "A-Actually, I am feeling a little light headed. Can we go back to the food court or something? I could go for a drink and maybe something light to eat..."

"Yes, of course. Let's go." Cobalt offered a paw and helped me off the bench like the gentleman he is even though I didn't need it. I also noticed he was holding my shopping bags.

"I-I can carry those..." I said rather bashfully.

"No, no, allow me." Cobalt said with a wink, causing my blush to grow in intensity. My legs felt mushy all of the sudden and I almost tripped.

"Whoa!" Cobalt grabbed a hold of me, adding to my embarrassment. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Y-Yes, I'm f-fine..."

"Well, let me hold your hand." Cobalt held out a paw.

"W-What?!" My heart nearly exploded out of my chest.

"You say you're fine, but I don't completely believe you. So let me hold your hand, in case you trip again." Cobalt then reached and grabbed my hand. "I won't be taking no for an answer!" He smiled.

"O-O-O-O-Okay...!" _This isn't good. If this doesn't kill me, Mother will if she finds out I'm holding hands with Cobalt at the mall! O-Oh...but this feels so nice... It's as if we're on a d-d-d-d-date...!_

Cobalt and I walked, hand in hand. His grip was tight, and yet gentle at the same time. There was no way my hand would slip, no matter how sweaty it got from my nervousness. It felt like a dream come true, and yet my biggest nightmare. It was like I was on a date with Cobalt, and all these Valentine's themed decorations definitely did not help. But I also know it's not, and I would never go on a real date with him. Mother would never allow it. I felt so happy and yet completely defeated at the same time.

"Say Mint...?" Cobalt called out suddenly, bringing me back to reality.

"Y-Yeah?"

"Do you want to eat here?" Cobalt pointed at the café that stood before us. It was fairly new, seeing as how they've only recently started building food establishments outside the food court, and it was also heavily decorated with hearts and balloons. "I've been wanting to try this place out, and we're already here so..."

"U-Umm, I-I gu—"

"Hey, you two!" One of the employees, a Vulpix, called out to us. "You two a couple?!" He shouted excitedly, his six tails wagging rhythmically.

"N-N-No!" I wanted to faint again. This Vulpix's energy reminded me of a certain other Vulpix we all know and love, and somehow I feel like he's not going to believe me one bit.

"What? But you two are holding hands!" Cobalt and I looked down at our grip and I quickly pulled away to cover my burning red blush. "Aw, see look, she's blushing! You guys make a cute couple! Why don't you come into our café? We're having a special for cute couples!"

"H-Hold on a sec—" Cobalt tried stopping the Vulpix, but he ran behind us and started shoving us into the café.

"Here we are! Fireside Café! We have special booths just for lovely couples like you, so have a seat!" The Vulpix gestured at the booths hugging the wall. The seats were against the wall, so there was only one side to sit, which meant couples sat next to each other...

"It looks like he's is not going to take no for an answer, Mint..." Cobalt sighed and took a seat in the booth.

I stood there, speechless and frozen in spot. _A-A-Am I really going to sit r-r-right next to him in a c-café?! T-T-This is becoming more and more like a r-r-real date!_

"Don't just stand there! Your boyfriend is waiting for you!" The Vulpix nudged me before I could pass out and scream at the top of my lungs at him calling Cobalt my boyfriend. I reluctantly took a seat next to Cobalt and continued to die from embarrassment. "Here are your menus! I'll be back in a bit to take your order!" Our waiter gave us menus before rushing back to the kitchen. I quickly took it and opened it up to hide my face from Cobalt.

"G-Geeze, that is one waiter devoted to his work." Cobalt chuckled nervously. "Doesn't he remind you of Auburn? Maybe he's related to her!"

I lowered the menu and giggled. "I-I wouldn't be surprised after going through that experience. It felt like it was Auburn herself waiting us!"

Cobalt laughed. "Right? It's always a little odd interacting with Vulpix that aren't Auburn... I'm glad they're not a completely common species!" Cobalt chuckled nervously, "Although by the looks of it, everyone working here is a Vulpix..."

I looked around and saw that all the waiters and waitresses were indeed Vulpixes...or would it be just Vulpix? Vulpi? I made a mental note to study more on species names, plural words, and English in general. While scanning the café, I noticed our energetic waiter was coming back with a tray holding a rather large glass skillfully balanced on his tails.

"Here you go! Complimentary special drink for all couples today!" The Vulpix placed the large glass, which happened to be heart shaped, on our table. "Chef Ninetales calls it 'The Love Potion!' It's a fruit punch blended with many different fruits and berries! Now, are we ready to order?"

"U-Um..." Cobalt tried saying something, but the gigantic heart shaped glass obviously caught him off guard. "C-Can we just get like, a bowl of fruits and berries? We just wanted something light to snack on."

"No prob! Coming right up!" The Vulpix smiled and skipped back to the kitchen.

"S-So..." Cobalt mumbled. "I guess it's cool we got a free drink. It looks...colorful."

I stared down at the drink with widen eyes. Not only was the glass heart shaped, but there was only one straw, which also made a heart shape and had two ends! There we cut up fruits and berries mixed in, which were also heart shaped! Even the ice cubes were heart shaped!

"'The Love Potion' huh? You think we'll fall in love with each other if we share it? Heh, just kidding! ...Mint?"

...

_My heart._

"Mint? You okay? You're kind of just staring off in the distance and your face is all red..."

"W-WHAT?!" I jumped. Cobalt stared at me with concern, only adding to fuel to the fire burning my cheeks up. "I-I'm f-fine! A-Ahaha!"

"W-Whoa, really? That's not very convincing." Cobalt frowned. "Here, why don't you drink this first? You said you were feeling light headed."

"R-Right... Thanks..." I sighed and took a sip of the fruit punch. It was... very sweet. And rather refreshing. It was actually really good! I could feel myself calm down as I took more and more sips and my face was finally cooling dow—okay no it's not!

"C-COBALT?!" I nearly spit out the drink as I looked up and saw Cobalt drinking from the other end of the heart shaped straw.

"W-W-What?! What's wrong?!" Cobalt panicked and flailed his arms in the air.

"Y-Y-You were drinking at the same time as me..." I blushed, wishing I was dead because my reason for panicking was completely ridiculous.

"Oh, sorry! I did say you could drink it first, but you just kept gulping and gulping and it looked really good so I wanted to give it a sip before you drank it all." Cobalt chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head nervously and extremely cutely.

"O-Oh... R-Right..." I looked away to avoid his gaze and sighed. _This is seriously the best and worst day of my life. I'm so embarrassed and yet thrilled to be spending along time with Cobalt... I shouldn't be doing this though. It's only going to make things worse in the end._ I shook my head to rid of these thoughts, and to help my eyes from releasing any inevitable tears.

Soon our waiter was back with a fruit bowl and Cobalt and I quickly finished those and the complimentary drink. Being the gentleman he is, Cobalt payed for the whole thing (even though it was pretty cheap) and simply would not allow me to pitch in, stating that "this entire day was his treat."

"How are you feeling now? Still light headed? You face is still looking a bit red." Cobalt asked as we exited the café.

"A-A bit better..." I replied tiredly while placing a hand on my cheek. They were still warm; I swear this blush is permanently stuck on me.

"That's good." Cobalt nodded happily. "Shall we go back to the arcade?"

"S-Sure..."

When we were back in the arcade, Cobalt attempted to purchase some tokens at full price, but the Charmeleon insisted that "we were such a cute couple and that we take the discount" even after both Cobalt and I argued that we weren't a couple.

"Well I tried." Cobalt shrugged; a cup full of tokens in one paw and my grocery bags in the other. "I really don't like lying, but at least we got them cheap. Now let's go win some tickets and get some lame arcade prizes!"

We spent a good hour in the arcade. We played every game they had to offered, and even won the jackpot on a few of them. The tickets just kept coming and coming. A few other arcade goers even began to watch us as we went from machine to machine, winning tons of tickets from each one.

"W-Wow, I can't believe how many of these games you've mastered Mint..." Cobalt said with disbelief. Both his paws and my hands were holding piles of tickets.

"Well most of them are all about timing. Focusing and knowing when to hit the button is the key! And also knowing exactly when the machine is going to play fairly and not rig you!" I explained to him, and without stuttering too! I never really noticed this, but I guess I have a knack for figuring out arcade machines.

"Y-You know when it's going to rig you?! Is that your psychic powers telling you that?"

"Hmm, maybe! I just have this gut feeling on when the machine is actually going to let me hit the jackpot. Maybe it has to do with me being a Psychic-type? Maybe my evolution played a part too. Who knows?" I shrugged.

Cobalt and I stopped at the prize counter and dropped out tickets on top of it. The worker, a Pansear, let out a yelp at the amount of tickets stacked.

"Whoa! Did you win every jackpot in the arcade or something?" The Pansear stared at us with awe as he placed our tickets in a scale to see how many tickets we won.

"Uh, something like that." Cobalt chuckled as he glanced at me. I nodded back nervously.

"Well gee, you guys have over 10,000 tickets! That's more than our most expensive prize here!" The Pansear scratched his head. "So, what do you guys want?"

"Hmm..." Cobalt said with a paw under his chin as he scanned the prize counter. I joined him and looked at what the arcade had to offer. Most of it consisted of cheap dolls and toys, things that a child would like. "These prizes are kind of...too childish for my tastes. Oh that there is kind of cool I guess." Cobalt pointed at a toy sword and shield set. "Reminds me of those times when Auburn would make us role play. I'm not going to lie and say I miss those days." Cobalt laughed.

"Do you want to get that?"

"Ah no it's okay. But if I did have it then I really could pretend to be Auburn's knight in shining armor!" Cobalt joked as he scanned at the other prizes.

I forced a smile at Cobalt's joke. I felt a lump suddenly grow in my throat as I tried to force a chuckle. I knew he was just joking, but that didn't make the sharp pain in my heart any less painful.

"Hey, is there anything you want? There's a cool coloring pencil set there. Though I think it might be for kids. What do you thi— M-Mint?!"

"H-Huh?"

"Are...Are you crying?"

"W-What?" I touched my face. It was warm. And wet. These were tears. "I-I'm crying..."

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" I looked at Cobalt, his orange eyes shining like the always do when he was worried about me. The tone in his voice showed that he was genuinely concerned for my wellbeing, and that only made the tears fall faster.

I quickly snatched my grocery bags from Cobalt and swiftly walked out of the arcade without saying anything. I used my free hand to wipe the tears away and just kept walking. I didn't know where I was going, but I had to get away from Cobalt.

_What am I doing? Where am I going? Why am I not just teleporting? Why did I just leave Cobalt like that? Why...Why am I crying?! Why does it have to be like this?! Why—_

"Wait!" I felt a paw on my arm. This grip and voice was all too familiar. I stopped in place, refusing to turn around.

"...Let me go."

"No!" Cobalt shouted.

"Let me go!"

"And let you just walk away like that?! Do you really think I'd just let one of my best friends go just like that?!" Cobalt's voice was loud and yet raspy. Was... he trying to fight back tears? I remained silent with my back facing him.

"Mint, what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong."

"That a load of Tauros crap and you know it! You've been ignoring all of us for the past couple of days! Do you know how worried all of us have been? Do you know how worried I've been?!"

I remained silent. Well, it would've been silent if I wasn't sobbing my eyes out. My body began to tremble, and I wanted to just pour all my feelings to him... But I can't...

"Mint, please! Was it something I did? Did I do something to hurt you? Please tell me!" Cobalt was on the verge of tears now, and that was my tipping point.

"...Yes."

"H-Huh?" Cobalt sniffled.

I clenched my eyes tightly and made my decision. I turned around and stared at the Riolu, my vision blurry from all the tears. "Yes you did do something! Yes you did hurt me!"

"W-What...?" Cobalt's eyes widened in disbelief and he let go of my arm.

"W-Why..." I dropped my head down and stared at the floor, it slowly becoming damp with my tears. "Why are you so kind to me?" I lifted my head and shouted at him. "Why are you so nice to me?!"

"W-What?" Cobalt said softly. He took a step forward with a paw up, as if he wanted to place it on my shoulder to reassure me. "Why wouldn't I be nice to you? I'm nice to everyone, and especially to my friends! You're my friend Mint!"

"I-I know!" I choked. "I-I know... y-you're such a nice guy... T-Too nice..."

"M-Mint?" Cobalt took another step closer, and he would've placed a paw on my shoulder if I didn't quickly step back.

"I-It hurts... It hurts so much Cobalt! And even if I had a chance to heal it, I'm not even allowed too! Mother doesn't approve of it, and she never will! All because of Cream! It's not fair! Why do I always have to suffer because of Mother's past?!"

"W-What do you mean?" Cobalt tilted his head. "Heal? Suffer? Your Mother's past? And what does Mom have to do with this?"

I suddenly realized what I just said and gasped. I covered my mouth with my hands and took a few steps back.

Cobalt gasped and quickly stepped forward with his arm stretched out at me. "Mint wait please don't—"

And with that I teleported away.

* * *

Cobalt's POV

"...teleport." I sighed. "Of course she teleported. I'm honestly surprised she didn't earlier. I wiped away the couple of tears that escaped from my eyes and sighed again.

"Cobalt..." My ears perked at the sudden call of my name. I turned around and saw a worried Audino, her hands full with shopping bags.

"M-Mom...!" I quickly ran up to her and took some of the bags from her. "I'm sorry; I should've stayed with you to carry the bags..."

"Cobalt... you're too kind." Mom smiled, though it looked sad.

"Mom?" I looked up at her. Though she was smiling, it was obvious something was bothering her.

"I saw what happened. And I also know you're hoping I didn't see it which is why rather than seeking comfort from me you're taking the bags and making up an excuse to not talk about it so I wouldn't worry."

"...Impressive as always." I sighed. "Am I really that easy to read?"

Mom winked at me and chuckled. "A mother knows best!" Mom's cheerful expression soon faded away and a frown now took over. "Let's hurry home. We have a lot to discuss. Save your questions for when we get home."

The trip back home was mostly silent. The sun was slowly starting to set, and the sky started showing signs of evening approaching. My mind kept replaying what happened between me and Mint. _Why has Mint been acting so distant? How could I have possibly hurt her?_

"Cobalt..." Mom finally broke the silence as we placed the shopping bags on the dining table and began unloading. "How do you feel about Mint?"

"How do I feel about her? What do you mean?" I said while putting away the groceries, my back facing Mom.

"I mean, what do you think of her? Do you like her?"

"Of course I like her! I like all my friends!" I answered back casually. When I looked at Mom however, she was not amused.

"Really?" She placed her hands on her hips and her eyes half closed. "Surely you're not that dense, are you? I mean, I know you're pretty dense and can be oblivious, but you can't be THAT dense!"

"D-Dense? W-What do y—" I paused. My face slowly turned red once I realized what she meant. "Oh. O-Oh! N-No! I don't... I don't have feelings for anyone! I-I mean, she's cute and smart and all, b-but I'm not really too interested in things like that right now!" I panicked with raised paws flailing about in front of my face.

"Alright, calm down Son! You don't have to freak out like that!" Cream chuckled. After a few seconds of giggling she took more serious expression. "Do you know what she meant? When she said you've hurt her?"

"N-No? Should I?" I tilted my head.

"Oh my goodness, you really are dense!" Mom stepped towards me and flicked my forehead.

"H-Hey, what was that for?" I said defensively as I rubbed my forehead. It's not like it hurt or anything, but it was unexpected and quite rude!

"It's for you being such a dummy!" Mom smiled.

"W-What? I'm so confused right now! Can you please just get to the point?" I was started to get frustrated. I know I've always been a bit dense which has caused teasing from others (mainly Auburn) in the past, but right now I was extra confused and it was starting to hurt my head. "What are you trying to tell me?"

"It's Mint silly! Haven't you noticed how weird she acts around you? How red her face gets?"

"What does that have to do with anything? It's because she's just shy right?"

"Shy?" Mom raised a brow, "You've been friends with her for five years now! Why would she be shy around you?"

"I-I don't know! I really don—"

_..._

_..._

_Oh my Arceus._

I did a facepalm with both paws and groaned. This major realization hit me like a Bullet Punch straight in the face. "I-I... I really am a dense idiot, aren't I?" It makes perfect sense now. All those times, dating back to when we were just kids. How can anyone be so stupid?! It was so obvious!

"Aw, I wouldn't call you an idiot, but you are pretty dense!" Mom patted my back and giggled.

"Thanks Mom." I rolled my eyes. "Mom, what do I do? I can't just walk up to her and be like 'Sorry! I don't feel that way towards you!'"

"Well yeah, but you should turn her down gently if she ever does bring it up." Mom sighed and turned her head away from me. "Honestly, it's best that you don't have feelings for her."

"Why's that?" I blinked and remembered Mint saying something about Mom and her Mother. "O-Oh! She said your name! She said it's all your fault! Why would Mint say something like that?"

"Cobalt..." Mom said my name sadly and walked to the couch in the living room, patting the cushion next to her. "Have a seat. I have something I need to tell you."

* * *

**Okay, not gonna lie. I cut it short because June's almost over and I needed to get this uploaded. I was originally going to include the ever-so-mysterious past of Cream and Sana, but was like "SCREW IT! CHAPTER 21 CAN BE THAT!" So...yeah I cut it. I know some of you were expecting it, and I feel really bad for not only getting this out late, but also not even including it. :/  
...But at least you have something to look forward to next month? :D**

**Oh, and not gonna lie part 2, I made another reference to Thunder and Ice, BECAUSE THAT STORY IS REALLY GOOD AND I LIKE TO MAKE REFERENCES TO MY FRIENDS' STORIES!**

**So...yeah we finally got to see some Cobalt x Mint action, if that even counts... yeeeaaaaahhhh...**

**See you in the next chapter! Thanks for reading~**


	21. Chapter 21

**OH MY GOD I AM SO SORRY FOR HOW LATE THIS IS!**

**I literally don't have any excuses for this tardiness. I was just straight up lazy. As much as I want to keep writing this story, I honestly have been getting bored with writing it. I still have a lot to write though, and I promise I'll never give up. The updates may take longer and longer, but also know that I'm slowly working on it! I am determined to one day finish this story, because I just love all these characters too much~ Also I'm way too deep in to just give up. :P**

**Oh, and by the way, there is no POV in this chapter. Enjoy~**

* * *

"Big bro, are we there yet?" The small Growlithe called out to the slightly larger one that was leading the group of five young Pokémon. Behind this smaller Growlithe, a Ralts with a worried expression stuck on her face, and a particularly small Tepig, breathing hard and struggling to keep up with the group.

"It's not far from here now Arc!" Cain shouted out to his younger brother. Walking along beside this Growlithe was a Vulpix, the princess to be precise, Princess Arylide.

"Yeah, we just gotta climb that hill up ahead and we'll be there! The most delicious berries you've ever tasted in your life are just a few minutes ahead!" Arylide added enthusiastically.

"Hey, wait, can we take a little break?" Sana finally spoke out her mind, "Poka is getting really tired here!" Sana turned around to see her Tepig friend farther back and taking slow steps.

"What? But we're almost there!" Arylide complained.

"But Poka is getting tired! You know he's sick!" Sana shouted angrily. "Ugh, I should've never allowed him to come!"

"N-No... I-I'm fine..." The Tepig, Poka, stuttered beneath his breath, "I'm fine, really... Let's keep going Sana..."

"See? He's fine!" Cain said with an annoyed tone. "You seriously worry too much Sana."

"Of course I worry! Poka is sick and I'm not only his caretaker in the class but also his friend!"

"S-Sana... It's okay..." Poka continued gasping for air, "I'm okay! Let's keep on going. I'm looking forward to those Pecha berries!" Poka smiled and continued walking forward at an ever so slowly pace.

"P-Poka..." Sana sighed, "F-Fine, but everyone needs to slow down. We can't let Poka fall behind again."

"Yeah, yeah, we got it Doc." Cain rolled his eyes.

"We should hurry though; the sun is starting to set... Mom's gonna get mad at us for being out late again!" Arc said quietly as he looked up at the slowly turning orange sky. "And I'm not taking the blame this time Cain!"

"It's okay guys, you don't have to slow down for me!" Poka announced happily, "I'm feeling really good now that I've caught my breath. I bet I could run all the way to the hill!" And with that, the Tepig suddenly burst into a sprint, head first to the nearby hill.

"P-Poka! No! S-Stop running, it's not good for your heart!" Sana suddenly panicked and chased after him.

"Whoa, those two can be surprisingly fast." Arylide whistled with amazement.

"We can't lose to them! Let's go!" Cain ran ahead. Arc and Arylide shared a stare at each other before nodding and following their friends.

The small, weak, Tepig continued running forward, ignoring the calls of his worried friend. _I'm tired of slowing everyone down! I'll show them I can be a normal kid too!_ Poka thought as he made it to the base of the hill. Surprisingly, he was still keeping up most of his momentum. That is, until he started running uphill.

_M-Maybe this was a bad idea..._ Poka began mentally cursing himself. His body started to ache and his breathing became erratic. His chest was in pain and his tiny, aching legs eventually gave in and he suddenly fainted on the ground, his body moving up and down from his heavy breathing. _I-I just had to p-prove them wrong..._

"P-Poka!" Sana screamed at the top of her lungs. She reached the fainted Tepig and began panicking with tears rolling down her cheeks. "Poka! Poka! Say something!" Sana kneeled down and began shaking the Tepig. Poka wasn't responding to Sana. His body was sweating heavily and his face tightened, obviously in pain. "POKA!"

"O-Oh crap..." Cain gasped as he and the rest of the group caught up to them.

"H-Hey, he's not..." Arc began trembling as his eyes began to water.

"N-No! Look, he's still breathing!" Arylide pointed at the way Poka's body rose erratically.

"B-But the way he's breathing, t-that can't be good!" Cain began looking left and right frantically, as if trying to find something that could help their fainted friend. "S-Sana do something, you're his caretaker!"

"R-R-Right!" Sana stood up and stretched out her arms. She closed her eyes and focused all her energy to her hands. A weak ball of light concentrated at her palms and turned into a beam as she began to use Heal Pulse on Poka.

"C-Come on, I can do this!" Sana began sweating as she tightened her focus. Poka's body was soon enveloped in a weak light as the Heal Pulse began to take effect, but his breathing didn't calm down. Poka suddenly began coughing with clouds of smoke being emitted from them.

"H-He's coughing out smoke! T-Tepigs cough out smoke when they're really sick! The Heal Pulse isn't working!" Arc cried out. "S-Sana try harder!"

"I-I know I'm trying!" Sana screamed. Her heart was racing like crazy. She was really trying her best to focus, but her panicking plus her friends' crying only made it harder. Plus she was just a young Ralts. Their healing abilities weren't exactly the best at the young age of 7.

"Sana, it's not working!" Arylide shouted, "Just teleport him back to town! Hurry!"

"What's going on here? I heard screaming." An unknown voice called out from the top of the hill. A small, pink Pokémon with a basket of berries began running towards the group when she saw the fainted Tepig and crying children.

"C-Cream!" The four kids said in unison.

"Why is Poka out here?!" Cream, the small, young Audino and friend of the group, scolded when she reached the group. "Oh my gosh, this isn't good. Sana, stand back please."

"R-Right..." Sana stopped her Heal Pulse and reluctantly took a step back. She lowered her head as Cream began focusing her own Heal Pulse. The light emitted from Cream's palms was much stronger, and within a few seconds Poka's breathing calmed down and his coughing stopped. Poka's eyes slowly opened as he regain consciousness.

"What h-happened?" Poka got up and looked around his surroundings. "Cream? When did you get here?"

"Oh Poka!" Sana run to him and embraced the Tepig.

"Wow..." Cain whispered in amazement.

"She healed him so quickly..." Arc added just as quietly.

"Haha! That's my Cream for ya!" Arylide stepped towards Cream and patted her back. "I expected nothing less from m-my...best..." Arylide's voice began to fade as Cream glared down at her, "...f-friend."

"Okay, who wants to explain?! Why is Poka out here?!" Cream shouted loudly. All five of them flinched back and cowered in fear. An angry Cream was not a Cream you wanted to be around. The air was tense as they all remained silent.

"Fine, no one wants to talk? Okay, then I'll volunteer someone. Sana!" Cream turned her head and glared down at the trembling Ralts, who refused to look back at her. "Sana, not only are you your class's Nurse's aide, but you're also responsible of taking care of Poka! Why did you allow Poka to come all the way out here?! You know he's sick! Look what happened! Your Heal Pulse isn't strong enough yet to safely bring Poka all the way out here!"

"I-I... I..." Sana's entire body trembled as tears rolled down her cheeks. Cream was right. They may be in the same grade and age, but an Audino is much more naturally better at healing. And she failed at her duties by allowing Poka to be all the way out this deep in the forest.

"Cream!" Poka shouted loudly as he stood in front of Sana, as if he was defending her. He had tears in his eyes, and his breathing was heavy, but he had a determined expression on his face. "I-It's not her fault!"

"P-Poka...?" Sana whispered. Poka turned his head back and nodded at her, calming down the Ralts.

"Cream, please don't be mad at Sana. It's not her fault. It's all mine..." Poka lowered his head, staring down at his shuffling forelegs. "I heard Cain and Arylide talking to Arc about this hill deep in the forest that has the most delicious berries... A-And I insisted they let me go with them! Sana refused at first, but I was being stupid! I promised her that if I started to get tired I would let Sana teleport us back home, but being the stupid Tepig I am, I never did... T-Then they all wanted to slow down f-for me a-a-and..."

Poka was now crying as he struggled to finish his explanation. He tried to wipe away the tears, but that only made his crying worse. "I wanted to show them I could be a normal kid too! I'm so tired of slowing everyone down! I'm so tired of always being the left out sick kid! S-So I started sprinting! I know running isn't good for my heart, and Sana even tried to stop me! But I'm too stubborn for my own good, and look what happened! I-I'm s-so s-sorry!" Poka was now on the ground, his face buried in his forelegs.

"P-Poka..." Cream approached the crying Tepig and kneeled down so she was at level with him. She spread her arms around the sick child's head and held him into a hug. Poka buried his face in her chest and kept weeping.

"I-It's not fair Cream! W-Why..." Tepig choked, coughing from his tears. There was a little smoke in his coughs, which was normal in his case.

"Shh, it'll be okay Poka..." Cream frowned as she gently stroked his head. "Come on, let's just get you home. Can you walk?"

"Y-Yeah..." Poka broke their hug and nodded.

"Alright then." Cream stood up and turned to everyone. "I'm going to take Poka home now. You guys should hurry on with your berry business and head home soon too. Especially you Arylide! Her Majesty will be angry again if you're out late!" With a quick bow, Cream and Poka were walking down the hill and back towards town.

"Geeze, Cream acts like she's our mom when she's in the same grade as us!" Cain scoffed.

"Well it's almost like she is our mom! Look how she healed Poka! She's just trying to look out for us..." Arc sniffled. He still had tears in his eyes after witnessing that touching scene.

"I-I know that!" Cain retorted defensively. "Ugh, I'm not really in the mood for berries after that... Let's go home Arc. See you guys later." Cain waved a paw and began descending down the hill.

"W-Wait for me Big Bro!" Arc ran after his older brother, leaving Sana and Arylide alone on the hill.

"I should get going too. I don't really care for a fresh berry right now either... Hey, Sana, wanna practice your teleporting abilities and see if you can teleport us back home?" Arylide turned to the Sana to see she was staring down at the ground with an emotionless expression. "...Sana?" Arylide waved a paw in front of the Ralts' face. "Saaannaaaa?"

"...It's not fair." Sana finally whispered, still looking down on the ground.

"What?"

"It's not fair!" Sana raised her head and shouted. Arylide jumped back in surprise with widened eyes from Sana's sudden outburst.

"S-Sana?!"

"Why did he have to be born sick?! Why can't he just be a normal kid?! And why... Why do I have to be so powerless?!" Sana began crying uncontrollably. "Cream healed him without breaking a sweat! While I was working and destroying my brain trying to get him to just calm down!"

"Th-that's..."

"Because she's an Audino right?! Audino's are just naturally good healers from birth right?! I don't get my healing abilities until I'm older and stronger huh?! Well I'll show you! I'll show her! I'm going to become the best doctor this city has ever seen and heal Poka's illness!"

"B-But..."

"But Poka's illness is incurable? Well then I'll find that cure!" Sana tightened her fists and shouted proudly with determination. "I'll show you Princess! I'll show everyone! Cream may have a head start on me just because she's an Audino, but in the end, I'll be the better healer! Just you watch!"

"S-Sana..." Arylide said quietly. Sana was normally quiet and reserved, so seeing her so determined was so out of character. Arylide couldn't help but smile. "Heh, you're gonna need to train a lot then! No one is better than my best friend!"

Sana faced Arylide and returned her smile with a chuckle. "Well I also enjoy a good challenge."

* * *

As the years went by, Cream and Sana became friendly rivals, always competing for the top score and best grades in class. Both were determined to become the best doctors in the city—no in the entire Fire Kingdom. They both wanted to be the one to cure Poka's illness. That determination only grew strong as they grew older. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Poka's condition.

By the time they hit middle school Poka's condition suddenly grew worse and he could no longer stay in Homura City. He had to be moved to biggest and most prestige hospital in the kingdom: the UniversityHospital located in University Town. As the name suggests, the town is home to the University of the Fire Kingdom, the most prestige college in the kingdom. The college is the only place in the Fire Kingdom where you can become a doctor or nurse, and the hospital there has the kingdom's best doctors. The day Poka left, Cream and Sana both vowed that they would reunite with him one day.

The summer after their graduation from Homura High School, Cream and Sana became students at the University of the Fire Kingdom, temporary leaving their friends behind in Homura City. Cain and Arylide had recently become a married couple with their coronation taking place not too long afterwards, and Arc began learning everything there was to know about running a restaurant now that Cain was royalty. Everyone was beginning to travel their roads to adulthood and their dreams, and Cream and Sana were no exception.

While they were rivals, they were also friends. Like in their childhood, they had friendly competitions to see who could score the higher grades. However, due to the difficult of college, they often found themselves helping one another rather than compete.

"Hey, Sana..." Cream spoke up one night in their dorm room. Cream was studying her notes on her bed while Sana was at her desk.

"Hmm?" Sana replied without looking up, the Gardevoir focusing on her notebooks.

"We essentially want the same thing right? Best doctor in the kingdom, cure all the incurable diseases, and all that stuff right?"

"That is correct."

"And our grades have been better ever since we decided to share a dorm room and study together right?"

"I can't deny that, yes."

"So, I was thinking, when we graduate, why don't we open our own hospital together?"

This caught Sana's attention. Cream had always lived in her parents' old hospital. The place was quite old however, and her parents wanted to retire soon, so with the help of Arylide, Cream wanted to remodel the place and open it as her own little hospital.

Sana put down her pencil and stood up. She walked over to Cream's bed and stood there with her arms crossed. "You want to team up for real?"

"Yeah! I mean, I know we've been rivals since we were kids, but I also consider you a dear friend. We do make quite the team, so I think it only makes sense! So what do you say?" Cream got up from her bed and stood eye to eye with the Gardevoir. Cream reached out her hand, offering a handshake to her old childhood rival.

Sana stared at the hand in silence. Her eyes went back and forth, from Cream's hand to Cream's face. Cream had that gentle smile she always had, not once faltering from the fact that Sana is taking her sweet time to answer.

Sana closed her eyes and sighed. "Well when you put it that way, I don't see why not." Sana happily accepted her handshake and smiled. "I'll be looking forward to working with you, Partner."

"Right back at you, Partner!" Cream laughed. "We better hit the books even harder now! We're going to be the best doctors ever!"

"Indeed." Sana nodded before looking at the clock. "Oh dear, I better get going or I'll be late!"

"Late to your little date?" Cream teased with half-opened eyes.

"Oh will you quit that already? I'm only tutoring him! You should look into tutoring too! It really helps with remembering the basics and it's good money! We're going to need all the money we can get now that we're going to be a team."

"Yeah, yeah _just tutoring._" Cream winked, causing Sana to blush brightly. "The only other student here that's the same evolution family as you, a dashing young Gallade to be exact, enrolls in the nursing program and you're suddenly interested in tutoring."

"Ugh, you can be so irritating sometimes!" Sana quickly turned around to gather her things and headed out.

"Tell Ray I said hi!" Cream laughed as Sana slammed the door. "Have fun, Partner."

* * *

"Hey, Cream! Look! Look at this!" Sana excitedly entered her dorm room one day with a flyer in hand.

"Sana? What's up? Why are you so energetic?"

"Because of this!" Sana lifted the flyer and held it in front of Cream's face.

Cream leaned forward and read the piece of paper. "'Internship opportunity... Get real experience with patients... Worth extra credits and get paid... Apply now?' Oh my, is this for real? This sounds way too good to be true."

"It is! I confirmed it with one of the professors! We can get credits and get paid while getting hands on work experience! It's a win-win situation! Come on, let's apply!" Sana held out two applications and gave one to Cream.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Cream happily accepted the application and began filling it out.

Within the next month, Sana and Cream were both interns at the University Hospital. They were to assist and provide care to a sick and weak patient, from providing the patient their daily medications, to taking them out for walks.

"And this will be your patient." The doctor stopped in front of a hospital room. "He is quite sick and needs a lot of care, but seeing as you two are currently two of the top students at the university in the entire medical department, I trust that you will see to all his needs. Now, please come on." The doctor opened the door and motioned the duo to follow.

Sana and Cream could not believe their eyes when they entered the room. Lying in the hospital bed was a small Pignite. The Pignite turned to see his new caretakers only to be greeted with gasps and surprised expressions.

"Cream, Sana, this will—"

"Poka!" The duo shouted simultaneously.

"C-Cream? Sana? I-Is that y-you...?" Poka got up from his lying position to get a better look at his childhood friends.

"Poka!" Cream ran up to the hospital bed and embraced the childhood friend she had not seen since middle school with teary eyes. Sana soon joined her and the three shared an emotional reunion.

The doctor looked at the emotional scene and smiled. "Well, well. It looks like I don't need to do any introductions. I will be taking my leave then."

"Thank you." Sana and Cream nodded at the doctor as he left the room.

"Cream... Sana... I knew I'd meet you guys here one day..." Poka smiled and laughed despite his tear-filled sobs. "Y-You kept your promise..."

"Oh Poka... How I've missed you..." Cream wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks. "I wanted to come see you so badly but..."

"I-I know..." Poka sighed, "My condition isn't exactly getting any better. I'm rarely allowed to leave my room or have visitors... Plus I'm sure school is extremely time-consuming..."

"But we are here now." Sana smiled. "And we won't be going anytime soon. We still have a couple of years left, and we'll continue working here as your caretakers for as long as possible. Isn't that right Cream?"

Cream looked up at her partner with determined eyes. "You got that right." The two shared glances at each other before giggling. Poka couldn't help but look at them with interest.

"W-Wow... you two have become so much more friendly..."

"W-Well a lot has happened since you left so many years ago..." Sana blushed shyly.

"Heh, yup. And we have a lot to talk about. So let's get to work on taking care of you!" Cream cheered, doing a fist pump in the air playfully. Sana and Poka stared at Cream intently before bursting into laughter. "H-Hey, this is the part when you join my fist pump and go 'Yeah!' not laugh at me!"

"Hahaha oh my goodness, I have missed you guys so much..." Poka laughed so hard he had tears in his eyes. The Pignite has not laughed this hard since he was a child, and it was a refreshing change of pace for the sick Pokémon. This was just one of many laughs and memories the Pignite would have for the years to come.

* * *

If Cream and Sana were not at school or their dorm studying, they were spending their time working at the University Hospital as Poka's new caretakers. Even though it meant the duo had practically no free time to themselves, they had no complaints because they were finally reunited with their childhood friend. All three of them were overall happier, especially when Poka's condition seemed to finally be improving. Sana still had her tutoring job, which resulted in Cream spending more alone time with Poka.

"Is Sana _tutoring_ her Gallade friend again?" Poka laughed as he sat in his wheelchair. He and Cream were sitting in the garden located in the center of University Hospital. Poka was now allowed to leave his room more often due to his improving condition.

"Something like that. You'd think Ray wouldn't need a tutor anymore after two years of tutoring from the top student in our department." Cream joined Poka in teasing the absent caretaker, laughing with the Pignite. "Aaahhh," Cream stretched out in her bench seat, enjoying the beautiful warm day and beautiful scenery, "What a wonderful day today is. Perfect for just relaxing outside."

"Y-Yeah..." Poka whispered quietly, a slight blush on his face. He didn't know he was doing it, but he was staring at his Audino friend and caretaker, and the way she looked stretching in the sun made her look absolutely stunning to him.

"I got a letter from Arylide today. Arc and Nina have finally decided on a wedding date. It's gonna be next month."

"Y-Yeah? Good for them..."

"And everyone is ecstatic to hear that you're finally doing better. Arc says he wishes the three of us could be at his wedding. They all miss you."

"I miss them too..." Poka sighed heavily. His head was down, his gaze at the colorful flowers surrounding his wheelchair. Cream looked at her friend and felt her heart break a little inside. Poka had a very painful expression on his face.

"Yeah..." Cream joined him in sighing and looked up at the sky. The sun was shining brightly down on them even though it was still winter. "Looks like spring's not too far ahead. Not that the weather here really changes in the winter... I mean look at this garden!" Cream forced out a chuckle, trying to lower the tension in the air. Cream frowned to see that it failed and Poka still had that expression on his face.

"Hey," Cream decided to be more direct and placed a hand on his shoulder and felt him tremble at her touch, "What's wrong?"

"I-It's just... You guys are graduating this spring..." Cream winced. She had a feeling this was what it was about. Cream and Sana were both getting their degrees in two months, which meant they will be returning back to Homura City.

"Y-Yeah..."

"Which means I'll be alone again..." There was silence between the two. Cream didn't know what to say. Even she couldn't deny the fact that after they graduate, she won't be able to see Poka again for a long time. The silence didn't last long as quiet sobs and sniffles began to fill the garden.

"P-Poka?" Cream gasped to see her friend crying.

"I-I don't want to be alone again!" Poka was now full on bawling his eyes out. He got up from his wheelchair to hug Cream, but his weak legs could barely support him, causing the sick Pignite to fall on the ground.

"P-Poka!" Cream instantly got off her bench and to Poka's side, scooping up the Pignite into a warm embrace. "P-Poka..." Cream stroked her hand over Poka's head as he buried his face in her chest.

"I-I..."

"Shh, it's okay... You don't have to say anything." Cream smiled as her eyes became faucets of tears. As she sat there with her sobbing childhood friend, her heart began to race. It had been many years, not since that day deep in the forest by the berry hill, since she held him like this.

"Everything will be okay..." Cream closed her eyes with resolve. "I will find a cure to your illness. I will do everything in my power to heal you, and then you can move back to Homura City and be with all of us... forever..."

"C-Cream..." Poka looked up at Cream, her face and smile radiating with warmth and kindness. Poka gasped as he felt his heart skip a beat and his face reddened. "Thank you..."

The next two months flew by before they knew it, and Sana and Cream were with Poka in the garden on the day before their graduation, the last day as interns at University Hospital and as Poka's caretakers.

"So you guys are really leaving huh?" Poka said quietly as he stared up at the moon, the back of his wheelchair facing Cream and Sana.

"In three days, yes." Sana answered, the sadness faint in her voice.

"How are the hospital preparations?"

"Everything is pretty much complete. Arylide sent pictures and both Sana and I approved everything."

"New equipment and everything?"

"Yes. It will be a fully functional hospital once its two doctors arrive."

Silence. The tension in the air was painful for the two soon-to-be doctors. Poka quickly broke the silence with a sigh.

"Then I have one final request as your intern patient..." Poka slowly maneuvered the wheelchair so he was facing his friends. He took a deep breath before gently smiling. "Can I be your first official patient?"

"W-What?" Cream and Sana were shocked.

"I want to go with you guys. I'm tired of being alone. I want to be with my friends again."

"B-B-But..." Cream stuttered, her hands raised up defensively and trembling, "C-C-Can we even do that?"

"Even if we are the top students and will be full-fledged doctors, we are still just rookies..."

"I already asked the doctors about it. My condition has done nothing but improved since I've been reunited with you two. They think it's because of you guys that I've been getting better." Poka then dug out an envelope and held it out to his friend. "This envelop contains all the details. If you accept it... they will officially allow me to return to Homura City and stay at your hospital."

Cream hesitantly took the envelope and opened it. Her eyes widened as she read the several pages of paper. "T-They're really allowing it... B-But it's still just a tiny hospital! Will it really be fully equipped with the necessary equipment to treat you properly?"

"You said so yourself. It will be a fully functional hospital once its two doctors arrive. And besides..." Poka closed his eyes and grinned widely, "You will cure me, right? Wouldn't it be best if I was there so you guys can test your medicines?"

Cream and Sana gasped and stared at each other. Poka was right. They both intend to find a cure, and it makes sense for him to be there. Though they both looked nervous and hesitant, Cream and Sana nodded and made their decision.

"Alright then, we accept." Cream smiled and held out her hand. "I look forward to being your personal doctor."

"As do I." Sana also held out her hand.

Poka stared at the two hands as he eyes began to water. Rather than accept and shake them, he jumped from his wheelchair and slammed his two childhood friends into a group hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Poka laughed and cried as he lied on top of his friends.

"P-Poka, y-you're crushing m-me..." Sana complained, though not sounding one bit annoyed as the trio filled the garden with laughter.

Poka slowly got off his friends and apologized. With Cream's help, he took his seat back on his wheelchair and gazed up at the moon and shining sea of stars. Cream looked up the sky with a hand on Poka's shoulder.

Poka blushed at the Audino's gentle touch, placing a hand on his chest to feel the pounding his heart was making. Poka smiled and closed his eyes to enjoy the moment, only one thought in his mind: He was never going to be alone again.

* * *

Shortly after graduation, Cream and Sana returned home for the first time in years. A few days after their return and getting acquainted with their new work place, a huge celebration was held by Queen Arylide to celebrate her two friends from childhood's graduation and opening of their hospital. What the Queen didn't know was that at that party they were to have a special guest.

Poka was finally transported back to Homura City on the day of the party. Cream and Sana had kept it a secret from everyone, so it was an extremely huge surprise to all their childhood friends. The day was filled with laughs, tears, and memories that will live forever in this group of friends' hearts.

Things were going well for the two rookie doctors. Thanks to the royal family's influence, Cream and Sana had a good amount of business despite it being small and run by rookies. If Cream or Sana weren't working with a patient, they were busy taking care of Poka and trying to find a cure. Cream and Sana would work all night trying to understand Poka's illness and how to fight against it.

The hospital doubled as Cream's home, but Sana lived nearby. However there were nights where Sana worked so hard she ending up staying in Cream's guest room. Cream had insisted turning that guest room into Sana's own room, but the Gardevoir kindly refused the offer. Because of this, Cream and Poka spent a lot of alone time together, and that time only increased when Ray finally graduated and got a job at the Homura Hospital as a nurse. It threw everyone off guard when the Gallade suddenly proposed to his old tutor, Ray claiming that that year without Sana made him realize how much he needed her in his life. Sana was shocked, but she happily accepted.

And so the next few years were going well for this group of childhood friends. Surprisingly, Sana was the first to get pregnant followed by Nina and Arylide, and before anyone knew it Mint was welcomed to the world. Within the next half year Tangelo and Auburn would also be born.

Young Auburn and Tangelo were practically raised as siblings, almost spending all their time together. But if Auburn wanted to play with another girl, she could always count on Mint. Mint and Auburn didn't have many chances to play together, but that didn't mean they weren't the best of friends. There was a third girl that sometimes played with them, Mint's next door neighbor Tea. The Litwick was extremely shy, and only seemed to stick by Mint's side, always hiding behind her whenever Auburn tried to make friends.

"You're working alone again today?" Poka asked as Cream entered his hospital room.

"For now, yeah," Cream smiled softly, taking a seat next to Poka's bed, "Sana has to watch Mint until Ray gets home."

"I hope she's not overworking herself..."

"Pfft, overworking is all Sana does!" Cream laughed. "She's happy though. She's got her dream job, dream husband, and an adorable child..." Cream looked away and sighed quietly. "Must be nice..."

"Cream?" Poka asked worriedly. "Are you..."

"Huh?" Cream jumped, realizing that she was showing a side of herself that she usually kept hidden from others. "O-Oh, I'm fine. It's nothing!"

"Cream is something wrong? You can talk to me you know."

Cream stared at Poka silently for a brief moment before sighed and lowering her head. "It's just... Everyone is married and has a kid now. I've never even had a boyfriend... I just feel... left behind I guess. I've never admitted this to anyone except Arylide, but I-I've always wanted to get married and have k-kids..." Cream raised her head and gasped at the look of sadness all over Poka's face. "B-B-But don't get me wrong! It's not like I'm sad or depressed or anything! I'm perfectly fine with how things are! I don't need romance! I'm too busy for that anyway, especially since Sana's only here half the time now. I don't have time for a family or love, I need to work on curing...you know." Cream looked away and blushed.

"C-Cream..." Poka gasped with widened eyes and blushed slightly. "W-Why are you working yourself so hard for me...?"

"Because I'm a doctor. It's my job." Cream looked back at Poka and smiled. "And because you're my friend. My precious, childhood friend. I still remember that day you know. How old were we? Six? Seven? You broke down as I held you because you wanted to be a normal kid. I still remember how heartbroken I felt as I held you. It wasn't fair. Why does everyone get to be normal and healthy while you have to suffer?"

"Cream..." Poka was speechless. He felt his eyes start to water up as he looked at the Audino, her face covered in determination.

"I know Sana feels the same way. I scolded her that day. She changed after that day. We both did. We both made a vow to heal you." Cream stood up and grabbed Poka's hands, holding them tightly and staring into Poka's shining grey eyes. "You're going to be a normal, healthy Pokémon one day. I promise."

"C-Cream... I-I..." Poka smiled with tears rolling down his face. Cream let go of her tight grip and wiped the tears away from Poka's blushing cheeks. "Thank you Cream..."

Cream stepped back and placed her hands on her hips and giggled, "Just doing my job!"

"B-But still..." Poka said hesitantly, "Y-You shouldn't have to put all your energy on me. I-If you want to find romance, you should go for it. I want you happy too, Cream..."

"And who says I'm not happy? Just being here with you makes me happy." Cream replied with a smile. "It'd be nice to have some romance in my life, but I'll live. As long as I can continue helping others and spending time with you, I'll be fine." Poka's face suddenly turned completely red, and his heart began pounding loudly. Cream noticed it too, as the sound from Poka's heart rate monitor became louder and the intervals between beeps decreased. "P-P-Poka? Are you okay?!" Cream suddenly panicked.

"Y-Y-Yes! I-I'm fine! I-It's nothing..."

"Are you sure? Your face is red and your heart rate is increasing. You're not feeling sick are you?"

"A-A-Actually... m-m-maybe just a l-little s-sick..." Poka suddenly hid under his blanket, trying his best to avoid Cream's worried gaze.

"Oh dear, hold on, let me get your medi—"

"No! I don't need any medicine!" Poka flung his blanket off his head, stopping Cream from leaving the room. Poka grabbed one of his pillows and shoved his face into it, muffling his voice. "I-It's a d-different kind of s-s-sickness..."

Cream turned around and looked at the flustered Pignite, completely confused and dumbfounded. "P-Poka...?"

"Cream... I-I..." Poka's heart was racing like crazy at this point. He was sweating bullets and breathing heavily, scared out of his mind at what may happen within the next couple of minutes. "Do... Do y-you know why I wanted to come stay at your hospital?"

"B-Because you missed us right? You wanted to be reunited with everyone and stay with Sana and I correct?"

"Y-Yes... I wanted to see everyone, and I wanted to stay with you guys too..." Poka looked away and took a deep breath, "Y-You especially..."

"M-Me...?" Cream asked. She had a slight feeling where this was leading too, and it was causing her heart to pound and cheeks to glow red. She was scared to ask why. She was terrified that she was just getting her hopes up. Cream gulped and gathered all her courage and went for it anyway. "W-Why's that...?"

"B-Because... Because I-I..." Poka took one more deep breath, deeper than the one before and exhaled. He looked straight at Cream and poured out his heart in his voice. "Because I love you, Cream."

Cream gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Her body began to tremble with disbelief as she tried to respond to something she never once in her life thought she'd ever hear anyone say. "Y-You... you do...?"

Poka sighed and nodded. "I-I've had feelings for you since we were kids... We started spending more and more time together... As we grew older, strange feelings started to develop in my chest. It only got worse when we were in middle school. A-And then my condition got worse, and I had to move away... I wanted to confess my feelings to you then, but I held back. It would've only made things worst... I figured they would go away since I wouldn't be seeing you anytime soon. I thought they were going away... But then you and Sana were assigned to me, and we spent time together again... Of course these feelings ended up returning! And they only grew stronger! I was dreading the day of your graduation because I knew that would mean I would be separated from you again, so I begged the doctors to let me go with you!" Poka began sobbing as he struggled to continue, "I-I couldn't bear the thought of n-not seeing you again... I-I j-just..."

At this point Cream was holding her friend tightly as he buried his face on her shoulder and sobbed his eyes out. "It's okay Poka..." Cream whispered as she rubbed his back gently, "Everything will be fine now. I'm won't ever leave you again. I promise." Cream backed away from the hug and wiped away Poka's tears once more. She placed her hands on his shoulders and gently pressed her lips against his.

"I love you too, Poka."

The door to Poka's room slowly closed. The pair of teary blue eyes closed as Sana leaned against the wall, her cheeks red and a smile stuck on her face with newfound determination.

"Well I bet get to work on finding that cure. It's not just for Poka's sake anymore."

* * *

Cream had gained a newfound determination. She doubled—no, tripled her efforts to find a cure to Poka's illness; a cure to her boyfriend's illness. Of course, it only caused Poka to worry as Cream was working harder and harder. Luckily, Sana was there to make sure the Audino didn't overdo it. Sana spent less time at hospital, which mean less time working towards a cure, but by watching out for Cream she was helping find a cure indirectly.

"...N-No way..." Sana muttered, her body trembling like crazy. She and Cream were in the medicine lab in their hospital working on curing Poka's illness. "N-N-No way...!"

"Sana? What is it?" Cream turned around and gasped, "Hey, are you okay?"

"I-I think I found it...!"

They had finally done it.

...

Or so they thought.

After multiple and multiple tests, the duo had indeed found a cure to Poka's so called incurable illness. But there was just one little issue. Sure, this medicine would definitely cure any other Pokémon with the disease, but in Poka's case the medicine would more than likely cause an allergic reaction that would likely be fatal to him.

"W-We're s-so..." Cream looked down on the table as she rested her elbows on it and rubbed her temples. The gears in Cream's head have been running nonstop for the past several days, but she and Sana have unfortunately run into a roadblock. "Why does Poka have to be allergic to the _one_ key ingredient?!"

"You know, even though he's allergic to it, there's a chance that it will cure him completely." Sana said bluntly with a monotone voice.

"You know we can't do that! That chance is _WAY_ too low! If we were to take it and the allergic reaction took effect, he would die a slow and painful death!"

"I know, I know..." Sana sighed. For Sana, it was like she found the one thing she wanted in life, only for it to be a mirage. She was so close, she thought she had it, but after running the tests hundreds of times with Poka's parameters, there was a less than 5% chance that Poka's body would accept it without the allergies acting up.

Cream and Sana worked like crazy, but unfortunately could not overcome the roadblock. They tried everything, but there was just no way to make this medicine without that key ingredient that Poka was allergic to. To make matters worse, Poka's condition suddenly worsened. Cream and Sana couldn't figure out why, especially since he has been doing well for the since they first became his caretakers back in University Hospital many years ago.

"Cream, I think we should just go for it." Sana said sternly, the two of them standing in front of the ER room where Poka was currently sleeping. He was moved there after he slowly grew worse and worse.

"Sana, you can't be serious." Cream answered back with her arms crossed.

"Cream, he is _dying_! We're out of options! He could literally die at any moment!" Sana began shouting.

"Yeah, and if we use the medicine then he will die slowly and painfully!" Cream shouted back while throwing her arms in the air. "5% is too risky!"

Sana stepped forward, her face just centimeters away from Cream's. "5% is better than 0%!"

Cream gasped with widened eyes. She knew Sana was right, but she still couldn't do it. There would be a 95% chance that Poka would suffer a slow and painful death.

"No."

"But _why_ not?! Do you want him to die?! I thought you loved him! I thought you wanted to marry him and start a family! How are you supposed to do that if he's _dead_?!"

Cream stood there, completely speechless. Everything Sana said was true. She had already considered everything, but her answer was still the same.

"...No."

Sana's face dropped completely. She couldn't believe her partner still refused to use their cure. Sana was furious. Sana gritted her teeth and tightened her hands into fists.

"...Fine." Sana turned around and headed towards the exit. "Go ahead. Let him die. I can't believe this. I'm leaving. I'll come back once you come to your senses!"

"S-Sana!" Cream gasped and cried out, trying to run after her. She ran out to the outside of the hospital, but Sana was nowhere to be found. Cream fell to her knees in complete disbelief. "...S-Sana... D-Don't you know how badly I w-want to use it on him t-too..."

It took all of Cream's energy to get back up and walk back into her hospital. It was only her hospital now. She had lost her partner, her childhood friend. And she had a feeling that it soon would not be the only childhood friend she would be losing.

Cream stopped in front of the ER room before taking a deep breath and slowly opening the door. Upon opening it, a Pignite with wires and cords attached to him and an oxygen mask over his mouth slept on the bed in the center of the room. Cream slowly walked up to Poka and sighed.

"P-Poka..."

"C-Cream...?" Poka said quietly in a raspy voice. His eyelids slowly opened, reveal the dull grey eyes behind them. He looked weak, and the life that usually shined in those grey eyes have died out. "I-I heard arguing... A-Are you o-okay?"

"Shh, don't speak. Save your energy... It was nothing, don't worry..."

"C-C-Cream..." Poka coughed loudly. Cream panicked and tried to calm down the dying Pignite, trying her best to fight back the tears. "I-It h-h-hurts... C-Cream..."

"I-I know..." Cream sobbed, no longer able to hold back her tears. "I-I d-don't know what else to d-do... Y-Your usual medicine i-isn't working anymore... I-I d-don't know what to do!" Cream turned around as she couldn't bear to see Poka's worried, dying plea for help. Through tear-filled eyes, however, Cream noticed a vile and syringe on a nearby counter. She stared at it intently and walked up to it. It was the cure. Cream's body began to tremble as she slowly reached for it.

"D-D-Don't... C-Cream..." Poka called out weakly, his trembling arm reaching out for Cream. "P-Please... N-No..."

"B-But!" Cream quickly spun around, "Poka, you're dying! You're in pain! I'm running out of options here!"

"C-Cream... we t-talked about this...r-remember...?"

"Of course I remember! You said you'd rather die from your illness than risk dying a slow and painful death from the allergic reaction! But you're already dying a painful death! Poka there are literally no other options here!"

"I-I... I know..." Poka suddenly started coughing roughly and vigorously.

"P-Poka...!" Cream rushed to Poka's. He was dying. And there was nothing she could do about it.

"Cream... come closer..." Cream complied and leaned in. Poka moved his hand around slowly around the bed, trying to find Cream's. Cream got the hint and grabbed it with both of her hands.

"I-I... don't have m-much time left..." Poka's breathing suddenly became erratic "C-Can you come closer a-and... removed m-my mask..."

"B-But...!" Cream cried. Poka needed all the oxygen he could get to breath properly and removing it would surely bring the inevitable closer.

"P-Please..." Cream frowned but reluctantly removed it and leaned in even closer, her head just hovering above Poka's. "C-Cream... I want you... to be h-happy... Y-You and S-Sana... are the p-perfect team... P-Please... please make up with her... Y-You need to tell her the truth... that the reason you k-keep refusing to use the medicine... is because I don't want to take it..."

"P-P-Poka..." Tears were pouring down Cream's face as she sobbed and listened to Poka's final words. "I-I..."

"A-And... Y-You have to m-move on..."

"P-Poka! D-Don't say that! Y-You'll live! You're a fighter! K-Keep f-fighting... k-k-keep l-living..."

"Ahaha..." Poka managed to chuckle despite the difficulty he was having speaking and breathing. "C-Cream... I'm sorry I-I couldn't keep my promise... W-We were supposed to s-start a family... Even if it was n-nearly impossible, t-there was always adoption... W-We were supposed to grow old together..."

"Poka, please, stop saying things like that! Save your energy, stop talking! Let me back your m—" Cream was suddenly stopped when Poka slowly lifted his head and gently pecked his lips on hers for a weak and final kiss.

"I-I love y-you..." Poka quietly muttered. His head slowly fell onto the pillow as his eyelids slowly closed, never to open again.

The only sounds left in the room was single, never ending beep sound from the heart monitor and the sobs of a heartbroken doctor who had lost yet another childhood friend and the love of her life.

* * *

**OH GOD FINALLY I FINISHED! THIS TOOK ME SO MUCH WORK TO WRITE AND YET I THINK IT'S SUPER CLUNKY AND THE PACING IS BAD AND I'M BAD AT WRITING DESCRIPTIONS AND IT JUST FEELS SO DULL AND UGH!**

**...But I hope you enjoyed it. I'm glad that I finally got out Cream and Sana's past. I feel like I should do some sort of timeline because I'm terrible at pacing and stuff so HERE YOU GO (this is using Cream as a baseline):**

**Age 7: Cream saves Poka, and Sana and Cream make their vows.  
Middle school, age 12: Poka leaves to University Hospital  
High school, age 18: Everyone graduates. Cain and Arylide get married and have their coronation. Cream and Sana move to University Town.  
College, year 2, age 19: Ray enrolls into the Nursing program and Sana becomes his tutor. A few months later Cream and Sana get their internship and reunite with Poka.  
College, year 4, age 22: Arc and Nina get married. Cream and Sana graduate and move back to Homura City to open their hospital. Poka transfers to their hospital.  
Age 23: Ray graduates and gets a job in Homura City. He proposes to Sana and they get married.  
Age 24: Mint is born. Tangelo and Auburn are born several months later.  
Age 25: Poka confesses his love to Cream.  
Age 26: They find a cure, but there's a 95% chance it will kill Poka. Poka's condition gets worst. Sana and Cream fight and Poka passes away.**

**So there you go. I know I wasn't very clear during the chapter, but I hope this clears things up. I know it takes more than 4 years to graduate as a doctor, but CREAM AND SANA ARE SUCH GREAT HEALERS THEY GRADUATED EARLY! Y-YEAH, THAT SOUNDS LEGIT :D**

**Thanks for reading!**


	22. Chapter 22

**HELLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

**Hey look, it's Orenji! And he finished a new chapter?! Wow it only took him 11 months! What an amazing guy!**

**...Okay in all seriousness though, I really am sorry. I'm sure you guys all know by now that I've lost interest in writing. I just don't find it all that fun anymore. But I'm still determined to finish this story! Even if it ends up being extremely half-assed and really lame! **

** E**

**So yeah, it's been almost a year since my last update. Lemme give you guys a refresher on what's happened in the past couple of chapters:**

**-Mint finally admits she's in love with Cobalt to Aika and Maple. She begins acting weird at school, especially after someone mentions that Cobalt is Auburn's "knight in shining armor," and all her friends begin to worry**

**-Mint can't focus on her studies and decides to ask her mother, Sana, on love advice. Sana says it better not be about Cobalt and forbids her from dating him. Mint later finds out why and decides to obey her mother's wishes.**

**-Mint decides to go to the mall alone. There, she runs into Cobalt, who is more than determined to find out why Mint has been acting strange. Cobalt forces Mint into hanging out with him, his treat.**

**-The mall is having a Valentine's event where couples get tons of free stuff for free. Despite their arguments, the mall employees treat them like a couple. Mint can't help but feel like she's really Cobalt's girlfriend.**

**-While picking out prizes from the arcade, Cobalt mentions that if he got the toy sword and shield, he could really become Auburn's knight in shining armor. Mint is brought back to reality and runs away in tears.**

**-Cobalt catches up with her and asks if he did anything wrong to make her cry. Mint yells that it's all his fault and teleports, leaving behind a confused Cobalt.**

**-Cream witnesses the entire scene and decides to explain everything when they get home.**

**-Cobalt finally realizes that Mint is in love with him. **

**-Cream tells Cobalt her past with Sana, and the friend they failed to save, Poka. Cobalt learns that Sana thinks Cream killed Poka and is the reason why Sana hates Cream.**

**There you go now! You are now caught up! Now enjoy what finally happens next-_ish_**

* * *

Cobalt's POV

After Mom finished telling me her story there was a moment of complete silence. Well it would've been complete silence if not for Mom's sniffles. I sat at the dinner table in complete shock. I wanted to do something, say something, anything. Mom has been in so much pain for so long and I had no idea. I felt terrible, horrible. I felt like I was the world's worst son.

"And..." Mom finally spoke up, wiping a tear from her eye, "And that's why Sana hates me... She thinks I'm the reason Poka passed away. "

"But...!" I wanted to argue but Mom quickly lifted her hand.

"I know what you're going to say. I know it's not my fault. I know Poka wanted me to tell Sana the truth..." Mom closed her eyes and sighed heavily, "But I... I couldn't tell her the truth. It was Poka's dying wish, but... Sana would've been so frustrated and angry with him. I didn't want Sana to be mad at him. The cure was just too risky. Had we gone through, it most likely would've killed him, and knowing Sana she would probably spend the rest of her life in regret and despair, thinking that she was a failure."

"So you'd rather have her be angry with you!?" I shouted in frustration, standing off my chair and slamming my fists on the table. Mom sat across the table in silence, avoiding eye contact with me. "You'd rather live YOUR life in regret and despair than her!?" Mom gasped and looked at me with widened eyes. "That's..." I slowly returned to my seat, "That's just not fair..."

"Sometimes..." Mom sighed and spoke softly. Her light blue eyes were half opened and glistened in the light with tears, "...Life isn't fair. You of all people should know that..."

This time it was my turn to gasp with widened eyes. She had hit a bullseye. Again, the room was silent. Mom continued to stare at something, anything, as long as it wasn't me, before she finally stood up and headed downstairs, not saying a single word. I remained in my seat with clenched fists and eyes staring blankly at nothing.

"...There has to be something I can do...!"

* * *

Mint's POV

"Welcome hom—Mint!?"

I opened my teary eyes and was greeted by my parents, their faces covered in worried. I had just Teleported back home after having the worst day of my life at the mall. I dropped the stuff Mother wanted me to buy on the floor and made a beeline dash to my room.

"Mint!" I heard Father call out. I knew he was worried, but I didn't care. I just wanted to lock myself in my room and bury myself in my bed. I wanted to get as far away as possible from them. From anyone. I wanted to be alone. I was in pain. I never felt anything as painful as this before.

When I made it to my room, I slammed my door shut and dove onto my bed. I buried myself in my blanket and proceeded to bury my face onto my pillows. If I was lucky, maybe I'd drown from my blanket and pillows...

It didn't take long for a gentle knock to come from my door. As expected, I heard Father's voice from behind the door.

"Mint? Can I come in please?" I ignored him. I only pulled my pillows tighter to my face, trying my best to drown out everything.

My door opened anyway, and soon Father's footsteps mixed in with my horrible sobbing. I sank slightly as Father took a seat on the edge of my bed. I quickly tried to scoot over to the other end, wanting to get as far away as possible from anyway.

"Mint, what happened?" Father pleaded. Again, I ignored him. "Please, you can tell me anything. I want to help you. Please." Father's gentle and comforting voice was soon overpowering my stubbornness to talk to him, but I again ignored and instead sobbed harder.

I felt Father get up and move to the other side of the bed, getting closer to me. Before I could scoot over to the other side again I felt Father's grip on me and I was soon being lifted off my bed.

"P-Put me down!" I struggled vigorously and cried, trying my best to escape Father's grip. Father sat down on my bed, placing me on his lap and quickly threw me into a warm hug. I gasped as he began petting my head.

"F-F-Father..." I felt more and more tears escaping my eyes. I finally gave up and buried my face. I let it all out. "Why Father?! Why!?" I sobbed loudly. "Why does it have to be Cobalt out of all Pokémon in the world?! It could've been anyone! Literally anyone else! At least then I would be allowed to love them!"

Father remained silent, continuing to stroke my head softly and tightening his hug. I could feel his chest slightly shudder, as if he was trying his best to fight back tears of his own.

"Let it out, sweetie. Everything will be okay..." Father whispered calmly. I could tell from voice that his heart was almost as broken as mine. "It'll... It'll be okay... I promise..."

I eventually lifted my head away from Father's chest and rested my chin on his shoulder. I opened my eyes slightly, and while my vision was blurry from all the tears, I could've sworn I saw a white, skirt-like thing rush past my down. I was too exhausted to think about and figured that it was just my tired brain messing with. I closed my eyes again and I soon drifted to sleep as I rested comfortably against Father.

* * *

**I'M SORRY THAT THIS WAS SO MUCH SHORTER THAN MY OTHER CHAPTERS BUT I JUST REALLY NEEDED TO GET SOMETHING OUT BECAUSE OMFG I FEEL SO BAD FOR NOT POSTING ANYTHING IN 11 MONTHS. IT'S BETTER THAN NOTHING RIGHT?**

** ...RIGHT?**

**Now! I need to say that I still don't have a definite schedule. So I'm not putting the story out of hiatus. I honestly can't say when the next chapter will come out. Hopefully it won't take me another 11 months to write 900 crappy words lol**

**WELP SEE YOU GUYS IN ANOTHER 11 MONTHS! WHEEEEEEEEEEE *explodes***


	23. Chapter 23

**Whoa, look who's back already! Bet you weren't expecting another one so quickly! ****Well you're not the only one!**

**But forreal tho, I felt pretty bad about how short the last chapter was. And everyone has given me such kind words! So using both of those as sources of inspiration, I have spent the past couple of nights writing! Go me!**

**This chapter is also on the shorter side, so you could also consider it as a "Chapter 22.5," but it's officially gonna be Chapter 23 because that's what it's gonna say on FanFiction and it's gonna bother me if they don't match lol**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Cobalt's POV

"Cobalt, good morning!" I turned around from my locker and was shocked to see Mint smiling, waving her hand. She was acting surprisingly normal compared to her odd behavior yesterday. She didn't stutter, blush or anything.

"M-Mint!?" I jumped and dropped my books on the floor. I felt my face become hotter from both embarrassment and also because I know how she truly feels about me. I spent a good portion of last night on thinking about how to handle this awkwardness now that I know Mint's feelings, and I came up with nothing.

"Hm? Are you okay Cobalt?" Mint asked with a confused face._ Why do I feel like our roles have been reversed?_

"Y-Yeah, you just...s-surprised me is a-all..." I stuttered. I could feel my body shuddering from all this one-sided awkwardness. I've never had to deal with a situation like this before!

"Well, if you say so." Mint nodded and shrugged. "Listen, I want to apologize for yesterday. I know you were trying to cheer me up. And you really did! I appreciate everything yesterday. I had tons of fun!" Mint smiled with her eyes closed. There was something strange about that smile though. It almost seemed forced. There was a hint of melancholy in her voice as well, it sounded like she was pretending like she wasn't in pain.

"Mint..." I frowned. I know she's just pretending to be all cheerful, but I feel like I shouldn't say anything. I nodded, "Yeah... you're welcome. I... I'm just glad you're feeling better." I forced out a weak smile.

"...Yeah." Mint looked away. We stood there silently, avoiding eye contact with each other. It was an extremely painful few seconds that felt like hours.

"W-We should get going." I finally broke the ice. Remembering that I dropped my books earlier, I bent down to pick them up, "I'll see you there."

"Okay. See you in a bit." Mint nodded and walked away at a pace that was way too fast to be called a normal walking speed. I sighed and began gathering my books.

"Yo, Cobalt!" I turned around to be greeted by Tangelo and Masello.

"Morning, chum!"

"Hey guys..." I closed my locker and sighed.

"My, you look exhausted!" Masello exclaimed worry. "Did you not eat a proper breakfast today? You know how important it is start every day with a balanced, delicious meal!"

"Do ever talk about anything else besides food?" Tangelo rolled his eyes. I couldn't help but chuckle at Tangelo's snarky remark. Tangelo turned his attention to me looked at me with concern, "Hey, we saw that entire thing."

"What thing?" I asked, pretending I didn't know what he was talking about.

"That moment you had with Mint! You could cut tension like that with a knife! Did something happen?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" I lied.

"Oh come now Cobalt we all know you're the worst liar out of all of this!" Masello frowned. I groaned because I know he's not wrong.

"Ugh... Well... It's a long story." I made quick glances to my left and right. The hallway was filled with students scurrying to their lockers and class. "And it's way too crowded here. Meet me at my locker at lunch. Make sure the others don't try to follow or anything."

"And miss lunchtime?!" Masello panicked. Tangelo and I both stared at him with eyelids half closed.

"...Seriously?" Tangelo groaned. "Anyway, we'll be here. Right Masello?"

"B-But..." Masello began to protest.

"RIGHT, MASELLO?" Tangelo raised his voice and bared his fangs.

"S-Sir, yes sir!" Masello cried, "I-I would do anything for my chums, even sacrifice l-l-lunchtime!"

"You know, I'm not forcing to you miss lunch... Just buy your cafeteria food before heading to my locker..." I sighed.

"...B-But of course! How could I not have thought of that? Silly me! Ahaha..." Masello laughed nervously.

"You can be such an idiot sometimes..." Tangelo sighed.

Classes were extremely awkward. Mint is in all my core classes, and while she _seemed_ perfectly fine, I knew deep down there was something wrong. And because I knew there was something wrong, I ended up being the one being all nervous and fidgety. My classmates would ask me if I was okay and I'd end up overeating my answer, or I'd get called by the teacher and just blank out when I knew what the answer was. It was absolutely horrible and only strengthened my resolve to fix everything.

* * *

It was finally lunchtime, and I stood silently at my locker. I had to come up with an excuse when Auburn and everyone else why I wasn't coming to the lunch table, claiming that I just wanted to have some guy time with Tangelo and Masello, which technically wasn't wrong.

After a good ten minutes I finally saw Tangelo and Masello heading towards my locker from the direction of the cafeteria.

"Yo, sorry we're late!" Tangelo said as the duo approached closer to me.

"The lines were just terribly long! I do apologize." Masello bowed his head sincerely with his cafeteria lunch bag hanging from his neck.

"It's fine." I waved my hands to show I wasn't mad or anything. "...You didn't happen to see any of the girls around, did you? I think Auburn might be suspecting something."

"Nope, there were all at the lunch table." Tangelo said calmly, relieving my nerves. "We aren't actually gonna chat here though, are we? We aren't allowed to hang in the halls."

"Yeah I know." I nodded. "Let's go to the Music Room. We can talk in one the practice rooms."

"Ooh, good idea! Those rooms are soundproof right? No one will hear us even if they tried!" Tangelo said with an impressed voice.

I led my friends to the Music Room. Usually only members of the orchestra are allowed in here during lunch time, but no one really followed those rules. As long as you had a member of the orchestra with you, nobody really cared. Besides, almost no one ever ate lunch in the Music Room. We entered the room to be greeted by, surprise, nobody!

"Man, this has got to be the lamest club in the school. All the other club rooms have members in it at lunch." Tangelo commented in a monotone voice.

"W-Whatever. I like music! It's relaxing."

"You like music, or you like that Auburn is into music?" Tangelo teased.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" I blushed and got all defensive, though I couldn't pinpoint why I was acting defensive.

"Haha I'm just joking!" Tangello laughed as the three of us entered one the soundproof practice rooms. "So what's up? You sounded really serious this morning."

"Well..." I scratched the back of my head, not knowing where to start, "I...umm..." I felt my legs being to shake. I started getting nervous, "Y-Y-You see..."

"Hey man, calm down!" Tangelo said with concern.

"We are your best chums! You can tell us anything, you know!" Masello added.

"Y-Yeah..." I took a deep breath, "So... you know how Mom and Mint's mom aren't exactly on good terms...?" The two of them nodded. "Well I uhh... I found out why..." I paused.

"Yeah? And is that why there was all that tension between you and Mint?" Tangelo asked. His face was covered in a serious expression. Masello on the other hand was busy munching on his lunch, though I know he was listening too.

"P-Partly... Well it's about 50% of it..."

"Okay, so what's the other half?"

"U-Um... Mint... She's..." I gulped nervously. I honestly have no idea how they're going to react to this, and it's really freaking me out.

"Oh! Lemme guess!" Masello finally spoke up after taking a big gulp. "Mint is in love with you, but she can't be with you because her mom hates anything that has to do with Cream?"

...

...

...

_WHAT?!_

"Ooh, that's totally it right?!" Tangelo nodded enthusiastically.

"W-What the—!?" I shouted. "How did you guys know?!"

"Dude, you're like the only one that doesn't know." Tangelo smirked.

"Wait, you all know Mint is in love with me?!"

"But of course!" Masello took a large bite of his food, "Mwell mebeh naht Ahbuhn, buh hwe oll mknow."

"You think? I think Auburn may have an idea. She can be a bit oblivious, but not as oblivious as Cobalt here!" Tangelo laughed.

"I..." I felt my face heat up. It was probably redder than the freshest Tamato Berry in world. I felt like I could die from all the embarrassment. "I can't believe this! Am I really _that_ oblivious?"

"Dude, you _just_ found out Mint's in love with you. We all knew this for years now. I think that just proves how oblivious you are. Heck, you're more oblivious than Masello, and his ability is Oblivious!"

"I am not oblivious, and Oblivious is not my ability!" Masello retorted. "It is Simple!"

"Huh, that makes so much sense—wait no that's not the point!" I shouted. "Look, Mint's in love with me, Ms. Sana is probably forbidding her to pursue me, and I don't even have feelings for her, so I don't know what to do!" I began to panic, "What should I do? I've never been in a situation like this!"

"The answer is quite Simple!" Masello said whimsically, "Get it? Simple?"

...

"Masello, please stop it before I eat the rest of your food." Tangelo threatened.

"EEPIMSORRYPLEASEDONTEATMYFOOD!"

"Guys, can we please stop joking around? I could really use your guys' help!"

"R-Right, I apologize..." Masello cleared his throat, "Why don't you just confront her and turn her down?"

"I was thinking you should just wait for her to confess then you turn her down." Tangelo suggested.

"But if what Cobalt says is true, the part about Ms. Sana forbidding Mint, then I doubt she would even bother confessing."

"You do have a point." Tangelo nodded.

"Oh that reminds me!" I suddenly remembered about my other problem. "I need to do something about Mom and Ms. Sana!"

"What do you mean?"

I told Tangelo and Masello why Mom and Ms. Sana are fighting. About their past friendship, teamwork, and eventual downfall. About Mom's past love, and Ms. Sana's anger...

"Whoa..." Tangelo whispered. "That's...crazy..."

"That is... _*sniffle*_ THAT IS SO SO SAD!" Masello cried. "Poor Ms. Cream! Someone as kind as her does not deserve to suffer like that!"

"I agree wholeheartedly!" I nodded numerously. "I just have to do something! Mom has been so kind to me all these years, this is the least I could do!"

"But what can we do? Not gonna lie, but Ms. Sana is kinda scary..." Tangello shivered.

"I cannot disagree with that. After that time we had to convince to let Mint go out for Cobalt's 9th birthday... Oh I do not wish to get on her bad side..." Masello frowned.

"I know... I couldn't think of anything. I spent all last night thinking about what to do about Mint and Ms. Sana. But we have to do something! Both Mint and Mom are suffering from Ms. Sana's grudge!" I tried to be optimistic, but it was really difficult.

"Well then why don't we just try talking to her? We aren't going to get anywhere worrying about it." Tangelo suggested.

"I guess you're right. Can you guys come with me after school today? There's no way I can do this alone."

"But of course!" Masello said cheerfully, "I will always have your back, my good chum!"

"Yeah, you know you can always count on us when you need some help!" Tangelo winked.

"Thanks guys!" I smiled, "You guys are the best!"

"Heh, I know!" Tangelo smirked cockily.

"Ah, but shall we gather everyone else? It would be easier to brainstorm on ideas if we had more...brains." Masello suggested.

"No, I think it should just be us. I don't want everyone else to know about Mint's feelings for me..." I sighed, "Even if they already know... And we'll be going to the hospital to talk to her. I doubt she'll be home right when school is over. I think it'd be best to keep our group small if we're going there."

"All right, sounds like a plan!" Tangelo shouted enthusiastically, "Operation Save Mint and Cream will be a success!"

"That's a stupid name." Masello said bluntly.

"W-Whatever!" Tangelo blushed, "You know I'm not creative!"

The three of us laughed and headed back to the cafeteria to spend the rest of our lunchtime with everyone else.

* * *

"I-Is this really such a good idea fellows?" Masello said nervously. He, Tangelo, and I stood in front of the Homura City Hospital, where Ms. Sana worked as a doctor. The building stood tall in the sky and was much, much, MUCH larger than Mom's little clinic.

"I-I'm s-starting to lose c-confidence here..." I began shaking and stuttering. "T-This place is so... large and i-intimidating..."

"C-Come on guys! We need t-to do this r-right? N-N-N-No need to be n-n-nervous or a-a-anything!" Tangelo stuttered rather strongly.

"Y-You sound the most scared out of a-all of us!" Masello complained.

"I-I-I don't know w-what you're talking a-a-about!" Tangelo looked away. "M-More importantly, do you know what you're gonna say C-Cobalt?"

"N-No i-idea..." I felt like I was going to puke. I spent the rest of the school day trying to think of what to say with no luck. I just wanted to go home and curl under my blanket.

"P-Perhaps we should come another time w-when we are more f-f-fully prepared..." Masello squeaked. I didn't want to be here any longer, so I wanted to agree with him.

"But we're already here!" Tangelo retorted, "It'd be such a waste of time! The hospital isn't exactly close to school you know!" Tangelo did have a point, but still...

"What are you three children doing?" A mysterious, feminine voice suddenly said with authority out of nowhere. The three of us screamed at the top of our lungs and jumped out of our skins.

"PLEASE DON'T HURT ME—OH NO!" Masello fell over and starting spewing lava out of his hump again.

"PFFFT—D-DUDE N-NOW IS N-NOT THE TIME FOR THAT!" Tangelo looked like he was going to cry, probably from a mixture be being scared out his mind and holding back the usual burst of laughter whenever Masello falls over.

"I'M SORRY MA'AM WE WE'RE JUST LEAVING PLEASE EXCUSE US!" I apologized out of the blue and began bowing numerously.

"Huh? Wait, aren't you... Mint's friends?" The voice seemed a lot more calmer.

"Huh?" I stopped bowing and looked up to see Ms. Sana standing before us.

"O-Oh!" Masello suddenly got up from the ground.

"Perfect timing!" Tangelo did a fist pump.

"Yes, Masello, Tangelo and... _her_ son, Cobalt." Ms. Sana said, with visible disgust when it came to me. "What are you doing here? If you're hurt, shouldn't you be at _that_ clinic?"

The three of us were in absolute silence. Ms. Sana's presence was absolutely intimidating. Then tension in the air was extremely thick, and she glared down at us as if she intended to kill us, especially at me, though that just might be my imagination.

"Hmph, if you have no business here, I must ask you three to leave. This isn't a playground." Ms. Sana said with hostility and swiftly walked past us towards the entrance of the hospital.

"W-Wait!" I managed to say as I reached out my arm. "I need to talk to you!"

Ms. Sana stopped in her tracks, and I instantly regretted speaking up. Without turning around, she spoke with menace in her voice.

"What would _you_ have to talk to me about?"

"U-Um..." I began sweating bullets. My heart felt like it was running at the speed of light. I have never felt this nervous in my life before, this almost felt as bad as when I had to run away... "I-I..."

"Speak now! You're wasting my time!" Ms. Sana suddenly turned around and shouted.

"E-EEP!" Masello cried out of fear. He jumped and ran behind Tangelo's back.

"I-I-I..." I wanted to cry. I couldn't speak. I was so scared. I couldn't move. The tension in the air was crushing me, physically and emotionally. My legs were shaking so much, I could barely keep myself standing.

"Cobalt!" Tangelo shouted suddenly. I gasped and looked at him with widened eyes. He gave me a look of determination and nodded, "You can do this!"

"Tangelo..." He's right! I can do this! I gathered up all my courage, clenched my fists, and finally confronted the source of Mom's pain.

"Ms. Sana!" I looked at her straight in the eyes, "What is your problem?!"

"E-Excuse me?!" Ms. Sana exclaimed in utter shock.

"You treat me, my Mom, and anyone associated with us like... like we're worthless scum!" I let it all out. I was screaming at the top of my lungs. I was so done with Ms. Sana that I started shouting without thinking. "What... What the _hell_ is you're problem?! Do you HONESTLY think that this how Poka wanted it to be?! You think he wanted you and my Mom to be fighting like this?!"

"...What did you say?" Ms. Sana glared at me menacingly. She suddenly Teleported right in front of me and bent down so that we were at eye level. "Do you want to repeat that, little boy?"

I gulped. All of that sudden courage I had was quickly depleting. But I couldn't give up. I got her attention. My body was shaking like crazy and I felt like I was covered in sweat, but despite all that I mustered what little courage I had left and continued.

"You... I know what happened. I know everything. I know how much Poka meant to you, and exactly how much he meant to Mom. Do you think she was okay with this outcome?! Do you think she likes being constantly berated by her former partner and friend?! Do you think your guys' first patient and dear childhood friend would be happy with how things are now?!"

"You little...!" Ms. Sana prepared to slap me, but just as her hand reached my face, I grabbed her arm. "W-What the?!"

Masello and Tangelo gasped. I lowered my eyelids and glared at Ms. Sana.

"Are you angry? Is everything I'm saying getting to you?" I whispered in a threatening tone as I threw her arm away from me. "You know I'm right don't you? I can tell in your eyes." I felt my paws clench into fists as tight as they could my my teeth grit. "Do you know how much pain my Mom is in? Do you know how much pain _your daughter_ is in?!"

"N-Now listen here, you insolent chi—"

"NO, YOU LISTEN!" I shouted in pure anger. I was absolute furious with her. She is the source of all of my Mom's suffering! Mint is also suffering because of her! I took a step forward with clenched fists and blinded with anger.

"C-Cobalt!" I gasped. Tangelo and Masello shouted my name, snapping me back into reality.

"Huh...?!"

"D-Dude..." Tangelo murmured.

"Cobalt... you need to calm down..." Masello whimpered behind Tangelo's back.

"W-What...?" I blinked, breathing erratically and covered in sweat. I scanned my surroundings to see a terrified Tangelo and Masello, and Ms. Sana, whose face was a mixture of so many emotions. "I-I..."

"Y-You brat!" Ms. Sana shouted furiously. "You better stay away from my Mint! I do NOT want her associating her with such an unruly child that doesn't know anything! You better stay out of my sight! If I even see you talking to my daughter, you and your incompetent mother will absolutely regret it!" Ms. Sana threatened me with a death glare before storming back into the hospital.

"What...?" I stood there dumbfounded. I looked down at my paws and fell on my knees. "Did... Did I just... make things worse?" I felt tears begin to form in my eyes. "I-I... What have I done?!" I fell on all fours and saw the ground below me become wet with teardrops.

"C-Cobalt..." I heard Tangelo and Masello say from behind me.

Tangelo walked up and put a paw on my shoulder. "Dude... Y-You did what you could..."

"I believe I must agree..." Masello placed a foreleg on my other shoulder. "Although it was rather harshly, I believe you conveyed your feelings properly."

"I... What happened to me...? I've never...yelled like that before..." I began sobbing. "I-I've never gotten so angry in my life! I lost my cool! And because of it I've ruined any hope of fixing Mom's relationship with her...!"

"Cobalt..." Tangelo began rubbing my back, "It's gonna be okay dude. Let's go back and think of a new plan. I-I'm sure we can convince her! There's gotta be a way!" Tangelo tried to cheer me up. I could tell he was trying to be optimistic, but there was a faint sense of hopelessness in his voice.

"I-Indeed! Let us retreat for now! We may have lost this battle, but the war is far from over!" Masello said enthusiastically and firmly.

"W-War? Heh..." I managed to chuckle, "Masello, you can be so dramatic..." I stood up and wiped the tears from my eyes. "Thanks guys for cheering me up. And for being here. There's no way I could've done that alone." My friends nodded and smiled. "You guys are right. Let's go back and think of a new plan."

The three of us turned around to head back, we were greeted by an unknown Gallade with a frown on his face. He waved at us weakly and gave us a faint smile.

"Hello there. You...must be Mint's friends, correct? My name's Ray, I'm Mint's father."

* * *

**Damn, Cobalt can be pretty scary when he's pissed. I think that's the first time I used a "bad word" in the story (if hell even counts lol)**

**Things are finally picking up-ish! I want to end the Middle School arc soon and head into the final arc, the High School arc! I had plans to add another mini-arc after Mint's arc that featured Tangelo, but honestly I just want to finish the damn story, it's been like two years lol. Once we get to the end of Mint's arc, maybe I'll put a poll and ask if you guys want more middle school fun or not.**

**See you next time~ (which will be in a few weeks hopefully!)**


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